The Last Stand
by nurzubesuch
Summary: John Connor sends a Terminator T-1000 back in time to prevent the invention of time travel. Now Doc's and Marty's lives are in danger, but they have an unexpected protector.
1. One Last Try

**Back to the Future – The last Stand**

Doc Brown: „What did I use to say is the number one rule?"

Marty: „Don´t think you know all the answers?"

Doc Brown: „Don´t think you know all the answers."

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**One Last Try**

Wednesday

Juli 27

2018

„Heads down!"

John Connor ducked behind the corner. Then Mike pushed the button and a big explosion blew away the iron door.

They didn´t wait until the dust had cleared. As soon as they were sure that there were no more flying fragments that could possibly decapitate them, they jumped out of their hiding place and started to shoot. Immediately there was backfire and John and the others found themselves in a firestorm like hell itself.

John didn´t think. He just ran and kept the trigger pulled. His MP was screaming all his way and reaped a lane into the surprised line of cyborgs. He saw a movement by his side and turned around in that instant, when a salve of bullets perforated the skeleton shape of the enemy. The machine opened its humanlike designed mouth for an angry scream, then it fell down and spat out its last electrical breath.

John had only half a second to notice that it was Kate´s gun that just saved his life, before he had to go on shooting. He had a mission to accomplish. Right and left to him he saw cyborgs falling under the bullets of his fellows. They were clearing his way so he could make it through. Behind him he heard Danny calling: "Look out, Kate!" and then there was more shooting.

For a short moment, not longer than a heartbeat, he worried about the life of his wife. But even for that there was no time. The machines wouldn´t wait for him to make sure, she was ok. Every single one of his group knew that they could die every day, every minute of their lives. They all accepted it, when they decided to pick up the fight and Kate was a brave soldier like everybody else. Perhaps more.

John kept on running. The room they were taking was not bigger than a small warehouse, he knew that from the plans, but in this moment it seemed like he had to run several miles. Then finally he saw it. The core he was looking for.

From that station the machines controlled the whole system of this part of the city. Corresponding to that fact, the cyborgs were protecting it very hard. At least twenty of them surrounded the console in an unbreakable line of defense. It was almost like they would know what the humans planed. Somewhere behind them, there was a light that was illuminating the hall through the dust.

For John there was only one thing left to do now. Again he fired in rage. His fellows, who had finished the robots behind him just in time, joined in with their own guns and created a way for him to reach his target.

A single cyborg jumped at him and John bisected him right in the middle with a constant salve of his MP. A quick jump over the machines body and he was at the console. Without any more loss of time, he put the little bomb on it. Right in the moment when he was about to push the button, a hand that wasn´t a metallic skeleton but instead looked pretty much human, crabbed him at his military vest. The next moment John found himself lifted into the air, staring into a face he recognized in shock. For a second he believed he had a flashback. That couldn´t be him. He was dead. He saw him die with his very own eyes, when he was a kid. But then he realized, that this one of course, was another one than the one he had known so many years ago. One out of a million, that probably existed all over the world. That he hadn´t seen one yet, was just because they were used in other regions than the one, where John and his group operated in. After all it was an old model.

All these thoughts ran through John Connor´s mind within a few seconds. They were terribly interrupted by a sharp pain that shot into his shoulder. The cold eyes of the Terminator were on him when his knifeshaped arm stabbed into his human flesh. John screamed in pain.

"John!" he heard Kate call his name.

The Terminator turned around for a moment to see the female caught up in a fight against the other machines. He didn´t pay any more attention to her and faced John again. He raised his free hand and pointed a finger at John´s face. Slowly the finger transformed into a stabbing weapon that grew longer and longer in front of Johns right eye.

Behind the Terminator, John saw Mike appearing between the fights. Mike of course had to realize, that John´s mission was interrupted so he jumped to the console himself. His hand hammered down onto the button of the little bomb and a second later, a magnetic wave flew over the whole room, lightening it up with its blue light. As soon as the machines were hit by that wave, they shut down their system and crashed down to the floor. The EMP had done its work.

The Terminator that still had John, began to flicker like a spastic, rolling his eyes wildly. Electricity ran through his knifearm right into John´s body and from his transformed finger, a little flash jumped the rest of its way into John´s eye. It was in that moment, when John suddenly got an image of a little girl with blond curls and a happy laughter that was running over a playground along with other kids. The image was as short as the flash was, but it burned itself into John´s mind, to remain there. Then he lost consciousness.

First it was Kate´s voice, calling his name, that brought him back around. Then there was the pain. When he opened his eyes, Danny was sitting in front of him, provisionally bandaging his wound.

"Hey, dude." he greeted him with a released smile. "Back to life?"

John didn´t answer. He felt dizzy. The smoke was almost gone and the light in the hall was a shady white that was hurting his eyes. Not far away from him, he saw the motionless body of the Terminator.

"What happened?" he managed to ask.

"Hu, that was close, man." Danny replied. "You almost bought the farm."

John tried to sit up but Kate put a hand on his unharmed shoulder. "Stay calm." she said. "Everything is fine. The guys secured the doors. The building is safe."

"We succeeded?" John asked.

"We did, man." Danny answered for Kate. "We kicked these suckers in the ass."

"The bomb worked, John." Kate explained more rational. "We smashed their system. The whole quarter is out of control."

"Yeah, for them." Danny agreed. "But wait until our guys come in and take over. That is the day, we were waiting for. Now history is gonna change."

John heard their words but he didn´t really pay attention. The only thing he saw, was the dead body of the Terminator, that had tried to kill him just a few minutes ago – and the construction behind him. Now that the dusk had cleared, he finally could see it. He didn´t need anyone to explain to him, what it was. The picture this little spark from before had put into his head was answer enough.

He had recognized the little girl immediately. He had seen enough pictures of his mother when she was a kid herself. There was no question about the meaning of that picture.

Against Kate´s will, he pushed himself up to his feet and walked through the room. Now he saw that it really wasn´t bigger than a small storehouse. Everywhere there were destroyed bodies of cyborgs and fragments of the burst door. His fellows had already started to clean up the mess to get some free space. They heaped up the junk that was left from their former enemies in a corner of the room. John spotted Mike some feet ahead. Mike grinned at him.

"Hey, sportsman." he said. "Good to see you standing again."

John gave him a short nod, than turned to the computer again. Kate and Danny appeared by his side. They knew it, as well as he did. Their gazes were worried, but not about the computer. About him.

"It's a time portal." John said.

Yes, they did know it. To say it loud made such a big difference, John almost couldn´t believe it himself. It was not that they hadn´t known the machines were planning something. That they had started to build up something in here. That was the reason, why the resistance picked this base as a target for their first strike with the new weapon. But that it would be a time portal … who would have guessed that? Not John, that much was for sure. Not in his wildest dreams.

He turned around to look at the Terminator again. The face of his enemy from childhood. The liquid man, that had tried to kill him and his mother when he was a kid. He couldn´t believe it. If they would have entered just a little later … It was unimaginable.

"What is it, John?" Kate wanted to know when she saw his pale skin.

"They were about to kill my mother." he whispered more to himself than to Kate or Danny. "These god damn bastards were about to kill my mother."

"Ehm, I don´t get it." Danny said in confusion. "I thought it wouldn´t happen until …"

"No!" John interrupted him. "Not as an adult. As a child."

"What?"

"I saw it. In his mind. I mean in my mind." John tried to explain himself desperately. "When the wave crashed down his system, I got a stroke. Somehow I was connected with him for a moment. I saw, what he was about to do. They planned to send him back in time, to kill my mother when she was still a kid."

"My god." Kate and Danny replied unisono.

"You mean, if we hadn´t come in here in this very moment … ?" Danny asked.

"I wouldn´t be with you anymore." John finished the sentence for him, stunned himself. „Never would have been."

"But … we stopped them." Kate said hopefully. "Didn´t we? I mean … you don´t think, they will do it again?"

"Of course they will." John answered hard. "As soon as they find out what happened here. I don´t want to know, how many of these things they still have all over the world." He pointed at the time portal.

"And what shell we do now?"

John didn´t know what to answer. For the first time since he took leadership of the resistance, he had no idea what he should order his men. There was no target he could aim at, no way to find out where or when the machines would start their next try to get him. Again it was a matter of time, a battle that would be set in a past he never could reach. It was so ridiculous. He felt as helpless as the child he ones was, years ago, when his mother fought against the same Terminator like the one that lay right in front of him now, to protect him.

If only nothing of all this had ever happened. If only this goddamn thing wouldn´t exist. Only because of the technology, the army found and studied after the first Terminator was destroyed, they were able to develop the computer system of Skynet. If he never would have traveled through time to kill his mother, Skynet never would have been invented. Judgment Day wouldn´t have happened. Only because of this shit …

John Connor blinked. What did he just meant? Without the first time travel of a Terminator, Judgment Day wouldn´t have happened? But how could he possibly prevent … ?

He turned around so fast, that his wife and his second Lieutenant almost flinched. With racing thoughts he faced Mike, who was already working on the big console to check the database.

"Mike." he called him and walked over to him. "Could you reactivate this thing?" he asked his first engineer.

"What? Why?" Mike asked.

"Just answer my question." John demanded.

Mike gave the console a look. Then he said: "I suppose I could but why the hell …?"

"What´s about him?" John interrupted Mike without paying attention und pointed at the Terminator.

"Him?" Mike repeated with an almost hysteric voice.

"John, what´s the matter?" Kate wanted to know.

John didn´t listen to her. He was focused on Mike. "Could you reactivate and reprogram him?" he asked.

Mike started to think. "I think I could." he finally answered.

"How long would you need for both?"

"Depends on how long the relays will need to recharge. One day, maybe two. Why?"

"Do it." John ordered without answering his question.

"John, would you please share what you have in mind?" Kate asked one more time.

"I want to be faster than the machines." John said. He explained his thoughts to them and he could see in their faces how it was working in their minds.

"Then … you plan to send back this Terminator to stop the first Terminator, before he goes back in time?" Kate guessed helpless.

"No. They would just send another one. And another one. Again and again." John said. "No, I plan to prevent time travel itself."

There was a long silence in the room after he had revealed his plan. Kate, Mike and Danny shared a doubtful glance with each other.

"How?" Kate asked, though she already got the idea. John gave her a long glance.

He said: "We have to terminate the creator of time travel."


	2. Arrival

**Chapter 2**

**Arrival**

Saturday

November 5

1955

Marty McFly screamed when suddenly he didn´t crash into a kiosk but into a scarecrow. This was more than heavy, this was impossible. Was he having visions now? What the hell was happening here? The car was jumping as if he was driving over a field instead of asphalt.

Then the next shock. A barn. He was heading full speed to a barn. The car jumped again and he was blind. He was so scared, he didn´t even think about the possibility that he could just put the foot off the accelerator. The result was a perfect drive-in crash with a speed of at least thirty miles per hour. The sudden stop threw him forward onto the steering wheel, where he hit his head. For a moment he felt dizzy.

Thanks god, I had my helmet, he thought. But then he realized, that it wasn´t a helmet he wore. Yes of course, it was the mask of the radiation suit, Doc had given him earlier. He tried to get it off his face, but there wasn´t enough space inside the car. What he could see through the dark glass, was confusing. It looked almost like hay. Hay all around the car. That had to be a vision. He must had hit his head more serious than he thought.

A door was opened and somebody looked in. A group of people, one of them holding a lamp.

Marty´s confusion grew. He had to get out of the car. Where the hell was that damn handle? Then he finally found it. The door swung open and he managed it to climb out. His head was still spinning, so he had to hold on to the door to not to fall. Then somebody was screaming. Marty saw the four people, who stood in the door, running away from him, as if they would have seen a ghost.

He tried to reach out for them to calm them down, but they were already gone. When he tried to follow, his foot got caught somewhere. Marty lost his balance and just slipped. But he didn´t hit the floor like he expected. He fell so soft like there would be really …

He finally ripped the mask of the radiation suit off his face. What he saw was simply breathtaking. Hay. He really was in a barn. How did he come here? He had been at the Twin Pines Mal, only a few minutes ago. He couldn´t possibly have driven that fast, to reach a farm in that time. Could he?

Many things began to spin in his head. To many things at once. He was not able to bring them in an order. First of all, he had to find out where he was.

He went to the door and out of the barn. Outside it was quiet. What he could see in the darkness, looked like the classic shape of a farmhouse.

„Hello?" he called out for the people. „I´m sorry about your barn."

His excuse was answered with a loud shot, that burst a hole into the wooden door next to him. Marty immediately trembled backwards, slipped over a plank and hit the ground a second time. Another shot followed. Marty just ran for his life, jumped back into the car and started through.

The DeLorean ran through the thin wall of the barn, out to the yard and right over a tree that suddenly appeared in front of him. Marty´s heart made a jump in shock but then it was over and he had a street under his wheels. Not a very good one, but at least a street. After some struggling, he managed it to get control over the car and to drive it more straight. He had to get out of this nightmare.

...

In the barn, right after Marty left it, a storm of wind and lightening started to appear, that seemed to have no source at all. The wife of the old Peabody peeked through the door, when it condensed more and more. She saw a grey ball coming out of nowhere, right in the middle of the barn, just where the UFO had been sitting before. A lightening set the hay on fire and she ran away, screaming for her husband.

„What is it!" the old farmer asked in anger. „Are there more of these space bastards? I´ll shoot´em down."

His wife didn´t answer. She just pointed at the barn with a shivering hand. Peabody crabbed his gun tighter and headed for the barn. He saw smoke coming out of the gate and then suddenly there was the shape of a man, that was coming out of the smoke. For a moment Peabody was just stunned. The man or whatever it was, was totally naked.

„There is an other mutant in human form, Daddy!" the boy shouted. His mother crabbed him and dragged him back with her to the house.

„You goddamn bastard." Peabody said. „Come here if you dare to. I´ll show you what happens when somebody´s killing my pines."

The man faced him with cold eyes and headed for him. Peabody shot. His bullets hit the man right in the middle of his chest and blew a big hole into it. But instead of killing him it just deformed him, like he would be out of wax or something like it. Peabody´s heart dropped. Then he heard his wife screaming and came back to. The Martian was still alive and regenerated himself already. It walked over to him and Peabody shot it again. This time he hit it in the abdomen but the result was the same. The distorsion was deep but repaired itself immediately. Then the alien was right in front of him. Peabody was not able to move. The man from out of space looked over to his truck, then faced him again. His expression was emotionless. He raised his hand in front of Peabody and gave him a look. Then suddenly a big knife came out of nowhere and shot into the old farmer´s body. Peabody was paralyzed in shock.

His wife and children screamed and ran away. The knife was pulled out of the wound and Peabody broke down. Without paying any more attention to the dead human, the Terminator turned over to the truck. The vehicle was almost prehistoric but it would at least bring him to the town nearby, where he could start to hunt down his main target.

...

Marty was starring at the newspaper, he had just picked up from the bin. He couldn´t believe what he read there. Even though he had seen evidence for the truth all along his way, reading the date was still shocking. Because it made it real and not just a confusion on his part. It said November 5, 1955.

„This has got to be a dream." he spoke out loud to himself. How could it possibly be true?

But he was here, no denying. He had seen the street where his family lived and it wasn´t even build yet. All the people were running around with these old fashioned cloths and the cars were classic cars without exception. Not even the town itself looked like it should. It was so clean. This town had never been that clean since he could remember. And then of course the clock tower. When he had suddenly heard it strike, he had felt a shiver like someone had walked over his grave. This clock never stroke in his entire life. It wasn´t suppose to strike.

It was probably in this moment, when he realized that it wasn´t a dream. That all this really happened. But he needed the sight of the date in the newspaper to finally accept it. So it was true. Doc´s time machine worked and it had really brought him back here into the past. Everything was true.

Marty cursed in silence. He had to fight back some tears. What a sick world was this? He was only seventeen years old. He was no hero of a movie or a soldier or anybody else, who would be used to find himself in situations like that. That was something that happened in Comics to the sketched heroes that wore capes. He was just a boy, that was concerned about his music and his girlfriend and school. He wasn´t ready to face a strange thing like that, nor to witness the death of a good friend in the middle of the night by the hands of terrorists. Why the hell, had he to be here?

On the other side of the street he could see a public telephone through the window of a café. That´s it, he thought. That´s what his mom always told him. If you are in a need for help, you have to find a phone. But who should he call? His parents? It was 1955 and they wouldn´t even know him. Who could help him in a situation like that? Doc, of course. But could he possibly hope to find him?

Marty decided that it wouldn´t help him, just to stand here and so he made his way over the street. He didn´t notice the farmer truck, that came around the corner, right in the moment when he entered the café.

What he saw inside was another shock. Everything was just so trashy, he almost forgot why he came in here. This room should be a fitness club anyway but even as a café it was almost more than he could stand. On the other side of the room there was a music box, playing a song that was more than old for him, it came from a time when he hadn´t even been born. A sound from a dead age but completely alive right in this moment. Suddenly Marty was scared. It was like seeing a ghost walking by.

„Hey kid." someone addressed him. „What you do? Jump ship?"

Marty realized that he was the one, the shop owner was talking to. „What?" he asked confused.

„What´s with the live preserver?" the man asked him.

Marty understood that his outfit might not fit the time completely. So he asked politely: „I just wanted to use the phone."

„It´s in the back." the man said and Marty was more than happy to get out of this situation.

He went to the phone booth and began to look for Doc´s name in the book. Against every guess he actually found him. But when he dialed the number no one answered. Marty cursed and hung up. It seemed like he had to find the place if he wanted to talk to Doc. The younger Doc of course. The Doc he knew was dead.

Marty took a breath and pushed away his grief. It wouldn´t help him. With a resolute motion he ripped the page off the book and went out again. On his way out he studied the address that was printed there under Doc´s name. He never heard the name of that street before.

„Do you know where 1640 Riverside Drive is?" he asked the shop owner.

„Are you going to order something kid?" the man asked him back.

Marty was stunned for a moment. The look this man gave him was so demanding that he couln´d just say No. After all this was a business and perhaps it was impolite in this time, not to order something after using the phone. So he sat down and ordered a tab.

The man from the fifties didn´t understand him. „I can´t give you a tab unless you order something." he said.

Marty started a new try and demanded a Pepsi Free, something he drank most of the time at home.

„You want a Pepsi, pal, you have to pay for it." the man said scandalized. He just didn´t understand.

Marty was not meant for this. He didn´t understand it either.

„Just give me something without any sugar in it, okay?" he said unnerved.

The man shrugged and gave him a black coffe. Marty felt like a squeezed lemon. How the hell did he come here anyway? That was one of the moments when you technically know it and suddenly, from one second to the other, you just forget what you had known a moment ago. That was just ridiculous.

A yelling voice behind him interrupted his thoughts.

„Hey McFly!" somebody shouted. It was obviously an angry voice.

Marty, shocked about being called by his name, turned around. A group of teenage boys were standing in the door. Bullies. Their leader was a big showy guy with strong muscles. Marty recognized the face. It was Biff, the man his dad worked for. The man who used to push his father around like he would be his personal slave. But the Biff Marty knew, was old and thick. This here was the younger version of him.

„What do you think, you´re doing?" he asked now.

Marty hold his breath. How the hell could Biff possibly know, who he was? Biff went forward, but he didn´t look at Marty. It was the skinny guy next to him, he was talking to.

„Hey, I´m talking to you, McFly, you Irish bug." he said.

The boy on the seat next to Marty turned around, an embarrassing smile on his face.

„Oh, hey Biff, hey guys. How are you doing?" he greeted like they were best friends.

Marty just couldn´t believe it. If he had thought he had gotten a shock seeing Biff, he was proven totally wrong now. Now he experienced a real shock. This weakly guy with the greasy thin hair, sitting next to him, was no other than his father.

...

The T-1000 was sitting in the farmer´s truck, in front of the café. His receivers were set and directed right on the human kid inside of that restaurant. His database had told him, the boy was the subject known as Martin Seamus McFly, who was about to look up the scientist Dr. Emmet Brown. It was just luck, that he had seen him entering that café. If he could follow him, he would lead him directly to the old scientist. His mission would be accomplished very soon.

After he had parked the truck, he began to listen. The first words he had heard from the boy, was an order to the shop owner and since then the talk had become more and more ridiculous. Now they were in a chat with other humans. The sense of that talk was absolutely unintelligible to him but he kept on listening. If there was the slightest possibility that the boy would speak out the scientist´s address, he could go for him without having to wait for the boy.

Now the group of boys separated from him and the other human and left the building. The noise they made by opening the door and coming out to the street was disturbing the signal for a moment. He just managed it to get it back, when suddenly one of the boys was standing next to his window, looking at him with a very foolish smile, like there would be something funny about him.

„Hey guys, look at this." he shouted. „We´ve got a farmer here. Hey what did ya do, taking the wrong road?" he asked him.

The T-1000 was perplexed for a moment. Then the laughter of the boy grew him too stupid and he raised his hand to point a finger at him. The boy skipped back and made something with his voice, that sounded somehow like an ape. He was still grinning. What kind of communication was that, the T-1000 wondered. However, it would be over in the very next second.

„Hey, Barney!" the leader of the group called and gave him a demanding wave with his arm. The others of the group already sat in their leader´s car. With a last wink, the annoying boy was gone and joined his group again. The T-1000 watched them go away, with a crackle in his system, that was very close to a feeling, humans would call anger.

Suddenly he heard the door burst open again and the boy he should have been watching, was screaming a name.

„Hey, Dad! George! Hey, you on the bike!" he yelled and ran away.

Surprised about that sudden development, the T-1000 startet the motor of the truck and hurried to follow. After the next bend he lost the trace for a moment. He couldn´t see the boy anymore. Then he crossed another street and got a short glance on him. There he was, running after a bike, that was far ahead. The T-1000 pushed the accelerator. When he was fast enough he could catch him at the next intersection.

Suddenly there was a yelling sound behind him and a blue flashing light. He looked into his mirror and saw a black and white colored car with flashing beacons on its top. A police car. The T-1000 stopped. The policeman pulled in behind him and got out. He walked over to his side very calm.

„Do you know, why I stopped you?" he asked like a school teacher.

The T-1000 gave him a look. Within a few seconds he decided, that the car of this man, was much more appropriate to his needs than the old vehicle of the farmer. Slowly he raised his hand.

...

„Okay, Billy. After you finished this man, close the door. Enough for a day." Andy Sullivan said to his employee.

„All right, Mr. Sullivan." the young man answered and faced the last customer for today.

The old biker was the kind of people, Andy always tried to avoid. He let Billy take care of these guys. The lad was much better in that than he was. Perhaps he just grew old, he thought, but that style wasn´t his taste at all. It was dark and rough and had an aura of violence, he didn´t like. Billy on the other hand seemed to have no problem with those people. Probably it was really a matter of the age.

Outside it slowly grew shady now. Clouds had darkened the sky over Hill Valley. Soon it would start to rain and Andy wanted to get home before it started, if that was possible. Suddenly he heard thunder. It was very loud, as if the lightening had struck something already. Something right outside of his gas station.

Andy got the creeps. Please not, he begged. Please don´t let the newspapers next headline call out: Texaco burned down after lightening strike. But when he looked out of the window, he couldn´t see anything of a thunderstorm. The clouds were still pretty quiet. So what the hell did he just hear out there? Hopefully it was no problem with the electricity. That would be almost as bad as a lightening strike.

„Wow, what the hell ... ?" he heard Billy shout.

Immediately he was back in the front of his garage, to see what was going on. When he found out, he froze in disbelief. There was a big, muscular man standing in the door. Naked. He looked around like he was searching something. Someone?

„Hey, what are you doing in here?" Andy finally managed to ask. „This is not a cathouse. Get the hell out of here."

The man didn´t respond. He looked him over in silence, then Billy and finally the customer, Billy had been about to deal with. After giving the puzzled man and his bike a long look, he walked over to him and said: „I require your cloths and your motorcycle."

The jaw of the man dropped down. Billy glanced helplessly at Andy. The boy was shocked but so was Andy. He really didn´t love that bikers but the man was his customer and he wanted to be damned, if he would allow some punk to insult him. He walked over to the strange man and placed himself between him and the biker.

„Look." he said as firmly as he could. „I don´t know who you are and what kind of joke this might be. But do it somewhere else."

The stranger gave him a long, mute look. Andy almost wanted to run away from these eyes, but stood his ground bravely.

„I do not joke." the man said. He had a strange accent and he was speaking as if he was not used to it. As if he had just learned it.

„Well, in this case I suggest you better go now, before I call the police." Andy managed it to say.

The man reached out his hand and pushed Andy away, that he flew at least three feet to the other side of his garage.

„I do not have the time for that." he said and inched closer to the biker, who was skipping back now. „Your cloths." he demanded. „Now."

Andy watched the scene with a mixture of fear and fascination. His employee didn´t move at all. He just stood there and watched, like he did. Now the stranger was on the biker.

„What do you mean?" the man asked in fear. „My jacket?"

„Everything." the man demanded.

„But I …"

„Now! Or I will get it myself!"

The man wasn´t a brave man at all. The stranger had already cornered him and now he couldn´t get away any further. Facing that cold emotionless face, he took off his jacket and threw it to him. The man caught it with a hand as fast as a snake, while his body and face remained absolutely straight.

„Everything." he repeated resolute. The biker obeyed.

...

Marty ran out of the house. Boy, that was close. Far too close for his taste. He still got shivers when he thought about it. First his dad and now even his mother. How did he come in this situation? Was that some kind of a bad joke from fate on him? If it was, he really couldn´t laugh about it. Jesus, did his mother really grab his knee?

He took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off his face to clear his mind. At least now he knew, where he could find Doc´s house. When he looked up the street, a police car just vanished around a bend. For a moment Marty had a strange feeling about that car, but he had no idea why. He shrugged and kept on walking. The other side of the town, his grandfather said. Wow, it popped into his head. His granddad. He´d never meet him before. He died when Marty was only four years old. That was strange. Like meeting a dead person. Literally.

He thought about Doc again and his heart sank down a little more. How many dead persons, he had to meet on one day? But it didn´t help. He still had a long way to walk so he´d better start. Behind him there was the sound of a bike. Marty turned around without any particular reason. He saw one single biker on a classic version of a Harley Davidson, that was obviously heading for him. Marty did some more steps backwards and then finally stopped. The man shut off his machine and faced him.

„Martin McFly?" he asked.

Marty´s heart began to pound inside of his chest. Was he still dreaming? Did this man really call him by his given name?

„Yes?" he replied carefully.

„You have to come with me." the man said.

Marty just couldn´t believe it. Not only was this guy speaking like a computer, but he also wanted him to go with him? „Wow, wow, stop." he demanded with his hands in the air. „Why should I come with you? Where? Who are you?"

„I´m a T-101 from what you call your future." the man answered without any motion of his face.

Marty´s brows elevated without his will. He blinked several times before he was able to respond.

„You´re what?" was all he managed to say.

„I´m a cybernetic organism. Living tissue over metal endoskeleton." the man explained with a straight face.

Marty couln´d help. He began to laugh. The man just gave him a look and his laughter died.

„Okay, dude." he said. „That was really funny but … I gotta go."

„That is right. We must go to the house of Dr. Emmet Brown. He is in great danger."

That brought Marty´s attention back. Something about that guy was really heavy but he seemed to mean it.

„Wait a minute. How do you know about Doc?" he asked. „Who are you?"

„I´m a T-101, a cybernetic organism …"

„Get out of town guy, I mean it." Marty interrupted him.

„I can´t do that."

„What?"

„I was sent here to protect Dr. Emmet Brown. I can not leave before he is safe." the man answered.

Marty was confused. „What do you mean, protect him?" he asked. „From what? The Libyans?"

„I don´t know anything about a group of that name. Dr. Brown is about to be killed by a Terminator model T-1000."

„What? Why?"

„He invented time travel. Sixty-three years from now on, the resistance against the machines wants to prevent this from happening."

„What?" Marty shouted. The more questions this guy answered him, the more he got confused.

„So you are from the future? I mean, the future future?"

„I was sent back to protect Dr. Brown." the man repeated.

„Wow, okay. Just one more time." Marty begged helpless. „Doc is in danger, that´s what I understood. And you are here to protect him."

„That is correct."

„And the guy who is about to kill him is …"

„A Terminator model T-1000. His mission is to terminate the Doctor, so he will never build his time machine."

„But why should anyone want to …?" Marty was about to ask, when the man interrupted him.

„If we don´t hurry, it might be to late." he said.

Marty forgot about his questions immediately and made a decision. He mounted the bike behind this strange guy. Everything else would have to wait.

"Where does your friend live?" the man asked.

"You don´t know that?" Marty replied surprised. After all the guy had told him, he would have expected him to know everything.

"No." he answered monotone.

"Eh, he lives 1640 Riverside Drive. That is …"

The man pulled on without a word and Marty had to cling to his driver, to stay on the seat.

"You have any idea what direction you have to go?" he yelled under the noise of the motorcycle.

"I have a detailed map of the city inside of my subroutines." the man said.

"Of course, you have." was all Marty was able to reply. This was really far too heavy. Alone the idea that he was sitting on a Harley behind a crazy guy, that called himself a robot from the future, cruising through the streets of 1955 Hill Valley at night, was just … Well, there wasn´t even a word for that. Perhaps he started to wonder, I´m the one who´s crazy and nothing of all this actually happens. Who knows. The man in front of him could easily be a male nurse, bringing him to a mental hospital. Yeah, maybe Doc´s amplifier had a worse effect on him than he´d thought. How else could one possibly explain what he was going through right now?

The motorcycle made its way around another bend. They were driving for five minutes now, far too fast by the way. Not only that Marty was almost scared to death to fall off, but they really risked to get stopped by the police and that was not his idea of approaching unnoticed. That was at least what he thought, they were planning to do. But obviously he was wrong.

The rows of houses grew thinner and soon Marty spotted a house with a long gateway and a green meadow in front of it. The house looked very old fashioned but had some sort of an romantic aura. In front of that house there was a police car. Though it didn´t look different from other police cars at all, Marty recognized it immediately and was alarmed. Were they already too late?


	3. You Want To Live?

**Chapter 3**

**You Want To Live?**

The Terminator stopped the motorcycle right behind the police car and Marty jumped off. Up the gateway he saw a man in a police uniform standing by the front door. He realized that this had to be the killer his new friend had told him about. His first reaction was to run over to him, probably to stop him from whatever he planned to do. But he didn´t come very far. A strong hand crabbed him and lifted him up to set him down again behind the back of the Terminator. Before he could protest the man said: "Stay here." and approached the house himself.

Marty heard the police man knocking the door. Shortly after that the door was opened and the man asked firmly: "Doctor Emmet Brown?"

Marty felt an urgent need to run. Why wasn´t the Terminator doing anything? How could he possibly stay that calm, for god´s sake? He walked like he was just out for a nice walk. Marty couldn´t stand it anymore. He hurried to come up the gateway. A shot rang out, slicing the silence of the night and Marty felt a shock running through his mind.

"Doc!" he shouted. The Terminator didn´t allow him to pass, when he reached him, but at least he could see that the Doc was okay. The police man was lying before his feet. His head was blown.

First Marty was too shocked to realize that there was no blood at all. He just saw a dead body without a head and a screaming Doc, who was pressing his back against the door, eyes wide in panic. On his head he wore some strange sort of helmet that knocked hard against the wall and got askew. Then Doc slammed the door, still screaming inside.

"Doc, no!" Marty shouted and passed the Terminator before he could hold him back again. "Doc, open the door." he shouted when he reached the door. "We´re here to help you! Doc!"

"I´ll call the police!" Doc yelled from inside.

"No, Doc, listen!" Marty tried to start an explanation. He glanced at the body before him accidentally and looked away immediately. Then he realized that it wasn´t a blown head like he would have expected one to be. There was a perfect hole in the middle of the man´s face but it looked like deformed metal. While he was looking at it, it started to melt.

Marty got no chance to think about it any further. A new shot smashed the head again. This time it exploded completely, millions of peaces splashing all over the garden. Marty screamed in shock.

"Holy shit!" he cursed to calm himself down.

"We must hurry." the Terminator said and aimed at the door. Marty had only enough time to wonder where he had hidden the gun before, then the Terminator burst open the door and walked in without another word. Marty heard Doc screaming again and hurried to follow. Inside he could´t spot the Doc at once. But the receiver of the telephone was hanging from the desk. Behind the stack of books Marty saw an angular of a metallic framework.

"Doc." he called and jumped to his friend. If he hadn´t grabbed his shoulders, the Doc might have skipped back and run away from him at once. But he had grabbed his shoulders and this way he had a chance to talk to him.

"Doc, Doc, it´s all right. It´s all right. I´m Marty. I´m your friend. We´re here to help you." he said probably much too fast but considering that he was scared himself, he spoke surprisingly clear.

Doc just shook his head and pushed himself away from Marty. Right when he turned around to run away, he faced a big armed man in dark clothes and sunglasses, who was aiming his gun at him.

"Get down." he said with his deep voice.

Marty didn´t think when he grabbed the Doc and pushed him to the floor. In the moment when they hit the floor, a screaming shot rang out over their heads and hit the police man, who had been about to enter the house.

"Let´s get out of here!" Marty yelled. He glanced at the Doc and finally realized that he still had this funny helmet on his head. As fast as he could he opened the strap and took the thing off Doc´s head.

Then he lifted him up and pushed him out of the door. They had to jump over the deformed body. When Doc saw the body he recoiled and screamed like a girl. Marty had some problems to catch up with him again. At the street he finally reached him.

"Wait. Wait, Doc, wait." he shouted. „Don´t run from me. I´m your friend."

"You keep saying that, but as far as I´m concerned, I just saw a man murdered in my house and I never met you before." Doc replied fevered.

"No. I know, you didn´t." Marty agreed hasty. „But you will. You will meet me. In about twenty years or so. I´m not sure. I know you since I was fourteen years old."

"What in the name of Sir Isaak Newton are you talking about?" Doc yelled in confusion.

"The truth is, I don´t know it myself." Marty admitted. „All I know is, that you invented a time machine in 1985 and then there was this accident and now I´m here and this guy in there, is from the future too. But a further future and he tells me that somebody is gonna kill you."

"That I figured out myself, boy." Doc retorted.

"But we came here to rescue you."

"I don´t see any rescue. Just some vandals destroying my house and shooting people. A police man!"

"This man wasn´t a police man." a deep voice behind Doc said.

Doc spun around and screamed again, when he saw the Terminator.

„No. No no no!" Marty stopped him from running again. „He is a friend. He just saved your life."

„One more friend of mine from the future?" Doc asked sarcastic.

„No. He´s just …"

„We have to go instantly." the Terminator interrupted him and headed for his motorcycle.

„I will not go anywhere with any of you." Doc declared. „Why should I?"

„Because you will die if you don´t." the other man answered his question. „If you want to live, you will come with us."

„I knew it." Doc pointed out. „Back to the threat. But it won´t work. I´ll go to the police."

„Doc, please." Marty begged. „He just meant that that guy in there won´t give up so easily."

„He won´t give up?" Doc repeated in a squeaking voice. „You just shot him."

„That is correct. I shot him. But he will be back soon. Killing him is impossible."

„You both are crazy." Doc shouted and turned around.

In that very moment, the police man walked out of the house and over the grass. Doc froze at this sight. A shot from the Terminator´s weapon made him wince. This time Marty didn´t watch the man, being shot down by his new won guard but grabbed Doc and pushed him to the motorcycle. The Terminator followed them and took over the machine. Doc didn´t protest anymore.

While there where departing from the house and their persecutor, Marty said in an exhausted tone: „You really don´t make it easy for a man to save you, Doc."

...

After driving a while they were about to leave the town. It took some minutes for Marty to realize that they were heading for the place where he hid the DeLorean.

„Where are we going?" Doc asked with a shivering voice.

„Take it easy, Doc. He just takes us to the time machine." Marty explained. „By the way." he turned to the Terminator. „How do you know where I hid it?"

„I have a sensor to detect high energie sources, especially radiative energy." the Terminator answered. „The radiation from the time machine is the highest source of energy in this area."

Marty didn´t respond. He kept silence till they reached their target. At night the street seemed so wide and dark, Marty almost thought that there would be nothing at all beyond this dark fields or the end of the street. If there hadn´t been that sign that read the name of his home street, what actually hadn´t been build yet (what a joke) he would have thought they were in the middle of nowhere.

The Terminator stopped the motorcycle at the curbside and they dismounted from the seat. Doc moved away from them immediately, slowly walking backwards.

„I … I assume you are going to kill me now." he said in a very calm tone.

Marty groaned in exasperation and walked over to him. „Doc, listen. Nobody´s gonna kill you. We just saved your life."

„By kidnapping me?" Doc asked still watching them closely.

„We had to leave the place, otherwise the T-1000 would have terminated you." the Terminator explained.

Doc studied his face suspiciously. „Who are you?" he finally asked.

„I´m a T-101, originally designed for …" the Terminator started but got interrupted by Marty.

„Wow, wow, okay. Time out." he said holding his hand up in front of the Terminator´s face. „This is a little too heavy for an introduction, okay? Let me start it."

He turned around to the Doc again, facing him very seriously. He said: „Doc. You´ve got to listen to me. This is important. Will you listen?"

Doc shrugged and crossed his arms. „It seems that I´m lack of options." he said.

„Does that mean yes?" Marty asked confused. Doc just looked at him and Marty decided to take it that way. „Okay." he started and suddenly realized that he had no idea, where to start. Then he picked up the part, he had already told earlier.

„It all started in that night on the Twin Pines Mall, where you showed me your invention, the time machine. I told you that there was an accident. It wasn´t planned that I came here, it just happened and now I´m stuck here, cause I have no idea how this thing works." He pointed in the direction where the DeLorean was hidden. Doc followed his hand for a moment, then faced him again. „I was looking for you, cause I need your help to get back into my own time. Into 1985." Marty continued. Then he looked at the Terminator, that was waiting some feet away from him.

„On my way to you I bumped into that guy." he said pointing at him with a motion of his head. „He told me, that he is some sort of robot from the future …"

„A cybernetic organism." the Terminator corrected him. „I was reactivated and sent back in time to protect the life of Doctor Emmet Lathrop Brown."

„Protect me from what?" Doc wanted to know.

„From being terminated by the T-1000 you saw in your house."

„The man you shot."

„Three times." Marty reminded him. „And he´s still standing."

„He will come after us." the Terminator agreed. „And he could come in any shape, not just the form of that police man you saw. He could take the form of every person he touched."

„What?" Marty asked. „You mean he becomes what he touches?"

„Anything it samples by physical contact might be imitated." the Terminator explained. „Not just humans. Also parts of the environment. He could hide right in front of you and you wouldn´t see him."

„You mean like a chameleon?" Marty suggested.

„This comparison is appropriate. After terminating someone he will be able to imitate that person to come close to you. He will do so."

„Wow, wait a minute. After terminating? That means …"

„Who ever got touched by him is dead." the Terminator finished the sentence.

„What in the name of Sir Isaak H. Newton does that mean?" Doc interrupted their talk. „You tell me that this assassin is from the future too?" he asked half laughing.

„That is correct." the Terminator answered absolutely serious.

Doc startet to laugh and threw up his hands. „I just don´t believe it." he said. „I´m on a desolated road in the middle of the night with two loonies."

„Doc, you´ve got to believe us." Marty begged. „I´ll prove it to you." he announced and took his wallet out of his pocket. He picked up a photo and showed it to Doc. „Here, look at this picture." he said. „My brother, my sister and me. Look at her sweatshirt. Class of 1984." He handed Doc the photo and picked up something else. „And this is my driver´s license." he continued short of breath. „It expires 1987. Look at it. Look at my birthday, for christ´s sake. I haven´t even been born yet."

Doc looked at both, the picture and the license, then he gave Marty a grinning look. „This is definitely a fake." he said, tipping the driver´s license. „As well as this picture. Your brother´s hair is cut off, boy." He handed Marty the photo back.

„Okay." Marty said. „Okay, I show it to you. Of course, I show you the time machine, it´s right over there."

Doc just shook his head. „I´m sure, you build up something very impressive but I´ve had enough." he said and turned around. „I´m sorry but since you don´t want to shot me, I will now go back to town and inform the police about what happened in my house tonight."

„No, Doc, wait." Marty begged and ran after him. He reached him and held him so he could not go further.

„Tell me why should I trust any of you?" Doc pointed out. „The way you introduced yourself was not quite inspiring confidence."

„You have to trust me. It´s the only chance you have."

Doc shook his head again, freeing himself from Marty´s grip. When he tried to get away, the Terminator blocked his passage. „I cannot let you go." he said.

„Wait. Doc. I know how I can prove it to you." Marty came up again. „The bruise. The bruise on your head. I know how this happened. You told me the whole story. You were standing on your toilet and you were hanging a clock and you fell and you hit your head on the sink. And that´s when you came up with the idea for the flux capacitor, which is what makes time travel possible." he repeated what Doc told him only twenty-four hours ago. When he was finished, he felt exhausted. It was never easy talking to Doc but it had never been that tensing before. Never in his life, he would have expected Doc, not to believe him or even not to trust him. Now the Doc was standing there, looking at him uncertain. But at least, he finally began to think about Marty´s words.

„How do you know that?" he asked suspiciously.

Marty felt new hope. „Like I said. You told me about it." he said.

Doc blinked several times. „You still could have seen me, when I fell." he guessed. „I mean, if you two had spied on me …"

„Doc." Marty interrupted him. „Even if I had. How could I possibly know, what you saw in your head after you woke up?"

This time his argument worked. Doc looked into his eyes, searching for a sign of a lie one last time and failed. He couldn´t find any intention of delusion in Marty´s gaze.

„Please, Doc. You´ve got to help me." Marty begged. „You´re my only hope."

It seemed almost like an eternity, until the Doc finally nodded. „All right." he said. „Show me that … time machine."

Marty felt his energy return. Excited he led his suspicious friend behind the big sign and started to free the DeLorean from the limbs, with what he had covered the car. The Terminator followed them in silence. Doc looked the car over, still unsure what to think.

„There must be something wrong with the starter." Marty began to explain, hoping it would make Doc start to think in his direction and stop distrusting him.

For a moment there was silence. Then Doc reached into his pocket and started to search. When he finally found what he was looking for, he held a sheet of paper in his hands. He unfolded it and said: „After I fell off my toilet, I drew this."

He presented Marty the paper, who took it from him to be able to see it in this darkness. It was a sketch of the flux capacitor, poorly conceived but recognizable.

„The flux capacitor." he named it.

Doc´s reaction was instantly. Marty opened the door of the DeLorean and reached in. With a short push, he switched on the flux capacitor in the middle of the car and looked back at Doc. His face was stunned. Like for a prayer he fell down to his knees and looked at the little box, a growing excited smile on his lips. When he started to laugh in triumph, Marty felt kind of released. He had finally convinced him.

„It works!" the Doc shouted jubilating. He turned around and grabbed Marty, dragging him down. „I finally invent something that works." he cheered.

„Bet your ass it works." was all Marty could answer to that.

Doc already turned back to the car. „Somehow we´ve got to sneak that thing back to my laboratory." he said and laughed again. „After all we´ve got to get you home, right?"

„Negative." the Terminator stepped in. „We cannot go back to your house. The T-1000 will watch it. If you go back there, he will kill you."

Doc and Marty shared a glance. Then Doc stood up to face the Terminator.

„May I ask, why this man is trying to kill me?" he asked.

„You are the inventor of time travel." the Terminator explained. „In the future, there will be several attempts to kill a man named John Connor, the leader of the resistance against the machines, in his early years, to prevent his rise to the leader that he is. In the year 2018 he decides to send back a Terminator to prevent the invention of time travel itself, to stop these attempts."

„You´re telling me, that not only do I invent time travel but in the future living machines will use that technology to execute just one man?" Doc reasoned distressed.

„Terminate." the Terminator corrected him.

„ … to terminate just one man?" Doc shouted even more despaired holding up the sketch of the flux capacitor as if it were a shield against all these unbelievable stories.

„That is what I´m telling you." the Terminator answered absolutely calm.

„Great Scott." Doc whispered in disbelieve. His eyes scampered. Then he looked at the Terminator again. „So, he is the one that wants me dead." he reasoned. „To save his own life."

„That is correct."

„But why are you here?" Doc kept on asking.

„The invention of time travel is inevitable." the Terminator answered. „It has to be invented to make sure, future events will happen as they are supposed to happen."

„I see." Doc mumbled thoughtfully.

„I was sent here, to ensure that by protecting your life against the assaults of the T-1000." the Terminator continued. „You must live."

„All right. So we can´t go back to the house." Marty summarized. „But we have to go somewhere."

„There is an empty house, near the city." the Terminator said. „I can take you there."

„But I will need tools from my lab." Doc objected. „And my dog is still there. He´s all alone. I can´t just leave him there."

„I can pick up the tools you need." the Terminator offered. „But you must not approach the house again."

„I´ll go with you." Marty offered. „He´s after the Doc, right? So I can come with you and help you to …"

„Negative. The T-1000 is also after you now. He knows about your part in the history of the invention of time travel. Your life is in danger as well."

Marty and Doc found themselves lack of arguments. „So what will we do now?" Marty finally asked.

The Terminator turned around and walked over to his motorcycle. „We will go to the house." he said. „You will follow me."

„Wait a minute. We can´t follow you. The car isn´t running." Marty recalled. The Terminator halted for a moment. Then he returned to Marty and Doc and reached into the car. He held out his forefinger. It seemed to change somehow, but Marty wasn´t sure. It was too dark for him to see it clear. The Terminator reached for the starter and suddenly the motor came up. Marty and Doc just stared at it amazed.

„Now you can follow." the Terminator said and walked back to his motorcycle.

...

It was a small house indeed, only four miles outside Hill Valley. The facade was old and peeling but at least the windows were still intact. Most of them. The Terminator opened the gate of the little garage so they could drive in. He followed with his motorcycle and closed the gate.

Inside the only light was the light from the DeLorean and the motorcycle. Marty got out of the car and looked around. The garage was abandoned but except for some dirt in a good condition. He found the light switch and pushed it. A small lamp on the ceiling came up, to spend them a shady light.

„Who´s house is this?" Marty wanted to know.

„It is part of an execution sale." the Terminator answered. „The auction is set for next month. Until then we are save here."

„What about the owners?"

„Imprisoned. The authorities found them guilty of selling drugs and weapons. They were arrested on May 17 of this year and will be released on April 23 1967, because of good behavior."

„Thanks for the info." Marty replied. „Just wanted to know if they could come back, while we´re here."

„Unlikely." the Terminator answered.

„Yeah, I would agree with that." Marty said. „Hey, by the way. You got a name?"

„A name is not a part of my program." the big guy told him.

„But we have to call you something." Marty argued. „How did they call you in your time? Your buddies. Your employers."

„My creators gave me the model number T-101." the Terminator explained.

Marty nodded. „So I call you T." he offered. „You´re okay with that?"

The Terminator looked at Marty in silence. Seemed like he was quite happy with the name.

Marty gave him a smile and both thumbs up. Doc came walking over to them, holding a sheet of paper in his hands. He was still reading what he´d just written, thinking hard if he forgot something important.

„Here." he said and handed the paper to the Terminator. „That´s a list of all the tools and material I will need. It´s in my laboratory and my garage. Wait. I forgot something." He took the paper back and wrote down one more thing. When the Terminator skimmed the list he looked at Doc confused. „What is a Copernicus?" he asked.

Doc got angry about that. „That is my dog, you futuristic robot." he snapped.

„Cybernetic organism."

„I don´t care what you´re calling yourself." Doc argued and waved with his hands like he would want to scare away some annoying flies.

„Okay folks. Let´s calm down, all right?" Marty tried to communicate. „T. Thank you for getting us the tools. Doc. I think we should start with … the car. What do you think?"

There was a last tensing silence between Doc and T, before T finally turned around to take his motorcycle.

„I´ll be back." he said, opened the gate and left.


	4. Interferences

**Chapter 4**

**Interferences**

„Do you really think it´s a good idea to push that guy?" Marty asked after the sound of the groaning motorcycle was gone. „He has got a real big punch."

„He is here to protect me, isn´t he?" Doc answered and turned around to the DeLorean.

„Good point." Marty admitted.

„Well then." Doc started looking at the car. „I suggest we should start with a short lesson."

„Okay. No problem. Tell me." Marty said excited.

„You misunderstood." Doc said. „You have to tell me first."

„What?" Marty swallowed. He couldn´t believe what he just heard. „Are you serious? I shell tell you? But that is your invention."

„Marty, I haven´t invented it yet." Doc explained. „You must tell me what you know about it, so I have an idea where to start."

„I don´t know how it works."

„But you must know something. Didn´t I tell you, how it works?"

„Yeah but … Wait!" Marty shouted. „Of course, the tape. I recorded everything, when you explained it. Wait a minute, I´ve got the camera … right here." He reached into the car and picked up the videocamera. „Now all we need is a television." he said.

„Well, then let´s have a look through the house." Doc suggested and headed for the door.

„Yeah. Okay." Marty agreed and followed him.

They entered a corridor. The air was stuffy and when they switched on the light it was pretty grey all around. Dust lay on the floor and webs hung in the corners.

„Sure that this house is empty only since last month?" Marty whispered. „This looks like a haunted house."

Doc cowered and reached for the floor with his forefinger. He took a little of the dust and then sniffed. Then he gently tipped his tongue with it and gave his finger a derogative glance.

„That is no dust, Marty." he said. „I assume the owners left not just their house."

„Wow. This is pretty heavy." Marty said. „We´re hiding in a crime scene."

„It doesn´t help." Doc said and stood up. „We have to carry on. Come on. I look around down here. You´ll go upstairs."

„Okay." Marty replied and turned to the left, while Doc went right and entered the kitchen. He found it empty but clean. Interesting, he thought. It was not what he had expected after the look of the corridor. Obviously the criminals did fight their way out from out there, not in here. Or maybe the packages with the drugs had been ripped open by some other accident. Maybe they had been fighting over them. Who knew. It wasn´t his concern.

He turned around and went out to check the living room. It was a little disordered but untouched like the kitchen. Though there was no television. Perhaps this were poor people that couldn´t afford a television. But then Doc realized how stupid this thought was. These were criminals. Selling these drugs would have brought them enough money for two televisions. The more suspicious was it, that there was none in here. A last thoughtful look at the shelves and he turned around to join Marty upstairs.

Marty had checked a bedroom and a bathroom. Now he entered a second bedroom. He switched the light on and sent a prayer to heaven. It worked. Right in front of him, there was a tube on a little cupboard. He jumped in and investigated the old apparat. The plug lay on the floor next to the socket. Marty picked it up and froze. On the floor behind the door, there was a contour of a body.

What the hell happened in this house?

He heard footsteps on the stairs and flinched. Jesus, what a freaking day was that? Then he realized that it was Doc, coming up the stairs and calmed down only to jump again in a hurry the next second. He had to find something to cover that contour. In the corner he found a little carpet. As fast as he could, he unrolled it and arranged it over the contour. Right in the moment when he managed it to give it an artless look, the door swung open.

„Marty?" Doc asked. „Did you find something?"

Marty jumped up. „Yes." he answered quickly. „Come in. I found the television. I wanted to call you right now."

„Curious, they kept their television up here." Doc mentioned.

„Well, I don´t think that is our problem now. Is it, Doc?" Marty said, feeling like a criminal himself that tried to cover his illegal activities.

„No, of course." Doc agreed. „You´r right. Okay then show me, what you have in that little box."

„That´s a camera, Doc." Marty explained and started to switch on the television, happy to hide his sweat covered forehead behind the work. After a few calibrations he finally brought a picture to the screen. Doc watched him very closely the whole time, fascinated by the technology he didn´t know. When he saw himself on the screen he got even more excited.

„Why, that´s me." he said. „Look at me. I´m an old man!"

He took a closer look, while his image on the screen started to talk about the experiment, he was about to do. „Thank god, I´ve still got my hair!" he shouted. „What is that thing I´m wearing?"

„Well, that is a radiation suit." Marty explained and switched a button on the camera to fast-forward.

„Radiation suit?" Doc repeated surprised. „Of course. `Cause of all the fallout from the atomic wars." he guessed. Marty looked at him in confusion, but Doc didn´t pay attention. He was way more fascinated by the camera. „This is truly amazing." he said and lifted the camera carefully. „A portable television studio. And so small. Amazing."

„Okay Doc, this is it." Marty came back to the point. „This is the part coming up."

Doc cowered in front of the television to have a better look at it. Marty pushed a button and the Doc on the tape started to talk: _„No no no. This sucker´s electrical but I need a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity I need …"_

„What did I just say?" Doc shouted almost angry.

Marty rewound and played it again. _„… this sucker is electrical but I need a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity …"_

„1.21 gigawatts!" Doc shouted so loud that Marty flinched. He jumped to his feet, drifting backwards like he had been hit by something. „1.21 gigawatts." he repeated horrified, spinning around, searching for the door. „Great Scott!"

He ripped open the door and rushed out. Marty hurried to follow him. „What the hell is a gigawatt?" he shouted after him. Outside he couldn´t spot the Doc. The hallway was empty. How did he run so fast, Marty wondered. Eventually he found him downstairs, sitting in a chair in the living room, mumbling to himself.

„How could I have been so careless?" he heard him say. „1.21 gigawatts. How am I going to generate that kind of power? It can´t be done, can it?"

„Doc, look. All we need is a little plutonium." Marty explained to him.

Doc just laughed. „I´m sure that in 1985 plutonium is available in every corner drugstore but 1955, it´s a little hard to come by. Marty, I´m sorry, but I´m afraid you´re stuck here." He drop back into the chair, an exhausted desperate look on his face.

„What? Doc, wait." Marty said. „Stuck here? I can´t be stuck here. I got a life in 1985. I got a girl."

„Is she pretty?" Doc came up again.

„Dos she´s beautiful." Marty answered and picked up a sheet of paper from his pocket. There he had kept the note from Jennifer, since she gave it to him. There, on the backside of the flyer, the annoying woman had given him, she had noted down a number for him to call her later. And beneath that she had written the most important three words, a boy could want to hear from his girlfriend. He presented Doc the note.

„She´s crazy about me." he said. „Look at this. Look what she wrote here, Doc, I mean … That says it all."

Doc just shook his head in a sad way. „Marty, I´m sorry." he said. „But the only power source capable of generating 1.21 gigawatts of electricity is a bolt if lightening."

Marty halted for a second. Did he hear right? „What did you say?" he asked to be sure.

„A bolt of lightening." Doc repeated. „Unfortunately you never know when or where it´s ever going to strike."

Marty just couldn´t believe it. That was the answer. He was holding it in his very own hands. He had it the whole time and didn´t know it. Triumphantly he presented Doc the flyer again but this time he showed him the front side. „We do now." he said.

Doc took the paper from him and looked at it. After he read what was written there, his gaze of exhaustion changed. „This is it." he said and stood up. This is the answer. It says here, that a bolt of lightening is going to strike the clock tower at precisely 10:04 p.m. next Saturday night!"

In his excitement he rumpled the flyer and started to walk up and down the room. Then he finally stopped and looked up. „If we could somehow … harness this lightening … channel it into the flux capacitor … it just might work."

Marty listened to his storming brain very close. He just didn´t dare to say anything, fearing he could interrupt the process. Doc straighted his back, a satisfied expression on his face.

„Next Saturday night we´re sending you back to the future!" he shouted, pointing to a far away point somewhere in the distance.

Marty jumped up. „Okay." he said released. „All right. Saturday´s good. Saturday´s good. I can spend a week in 1955. I can hang out, you can show me around …"

Doc suddenly grabbed Marty´s shoulders. „That is completely out of the question." he said. „You must not leave this house."

„Oh, yeah, damn I forgot." Marty agreed. „This robot is still after us."

Doc blinked. „No." he said. „I mean yes. That´s another point. But what I wanted to say is, that anything you do can have serious repercussions on future events. Even just a little talk could change the whole curse of the future. Do you understand?"

Marty just stared at him, completely astonished by what he just heard. Suddenly he felt his courage drop down to the bottom. „Yeah." he said unsettled. „Sure. Okay."

Doc appraised him closely. „Marty." he said. „You interacted with anybody else today besides me?"

That was the moment when Marty was finished off completely. He suddenly felt a sense of guilt, like he always had, when his parents caught him in the act, by sneaking out of the window.

„Well." he started and cleared his throat. „Yeah, well, I might´ve sort of bumped into my parents." he admitted.

„Great Scott!" Doc cursed. „Let me see that photograph again of your brother."

Marty took it out of his pocket and handed it to Doc. He took it and looked at it very closely.

„Just as I thought." he said. „This proves my theory. Look at your brother."

Marty did. „His head´s gone." he discovered. „It´s like … It´s like it´s been erased."

Doc´s face was pale. He gave Marty a horrified look. „Erased from existence." he whispered.

Outside they heard a yelling motor that sounded strangely loud in this tensing silence. Marty pointed to the garage with a motion of his head.

„I think our friend´s back." he said.

He led the way only because that way he didn´t have to look into Doc´s face. For some reason, he couldn´t stand it right now. Why the hell did he have to be so careless to interfere with his parents? Couldn´t he think about problems like this himself? Especially when he saved his dad from being hit by the car. His mother had told them the story over and over. He should have known that it was meant to happen and that his father wouldn´t get hurt seriously. But of course he didn´t think at all. He just reacted. And now the mess was done. Just reacting cursed him trouble since he could remember. Though knowing that never changed anything for him. It was such a mess.

T just turned off the motor and dismounted the motorcycle. He was carrying a huge bag in one hand and a little dog in the crook of his arm. Doc hurried to him and took the dog away from him.

"Copernicus, my poor little fella." he talked to the dog. "Is everything all right? Yes yes, good boy. The big man didn´t hurt you, did he?"

Marty watched the scene somehow released. He´d almost expected T to catch the dog with his rifle to bring him here. He didn´t want to know how the relationship between Doc and T would have been, in that case.

„Ehm, Doc, about the thing with my parents …" he started after a while.

„There is no alternative, Marty." Doc said before he could finish his question. „We have to repair the damage you caused."

„Yeah." Marty said admitting his fault in silence. „But how?"

„First of all we have to get you some cloths. Something more appropriate to this time. You can´t go on run around with that live preserver. And then we will visit school. I´ll have a look on the circumstances myself."

„Negative." T objected. „Visiting popular places is too dangerous. The T-1000 would have a better chance to find you."

„And what do you suggest we should do instead?" Doc asked with his fists on his hips.

„We must leave this town as soon as possible. When you change your name and go into hiding, constantly moving around, you have a chance to survive."

Doc threw his head into his neck and his hands into the air, exasperated about the Terminator´s attitudes.

„Wow, wait a minute." Marty said and stepped over to him. „We can´t leave town. If you take the Doc away from here I will never meet him. Right?" He looked at the Doc for confirmation, and got a nod for his statement. He turned back to T. „You said that I would play a part in that time travel invention story." he reminded him.

„That is correct."

„So … Then we are buddies?" he asked and got an indefinable look.

„That doesn´t change anything about my mission." T said. „I have to protect Doktor Brown and I can´t do that when we stay here."

„I´m willing to take that chance." Doc said stubborn.

T turned to him. „I believe, you don´t understand what the T-1000 will to do to you." he said.

„Well, he´ll try to kill me, right?" Doc said. „I think I understand that quite well. But you are the one who doesn´t understand that we´re dealing with a first class interference of the space time continuum, what we have to repair."

„What kind of interference?" T asked.

„Well." Marty said with a shrug. „I sort of, disturbed the meeting of my parents." he explained.

„If we don´t do anything, this kid, will never be born and since you said that he is important for what you are trying to protect, I don´t think that you would want this to happen." Doc argued impassioned. T didn´t respond.

„Yeah and by the way." Marty broke the silence. „We have to stay here until Saturday, otherwise I´ll never get back into my own time."

„Why?" T wanted to know.

„That´s why." Doc answered and made him take the flyer.

T looked at the paper in silence. Marty just waited what he would say about it. When he didn´t say anything, he asked: „So what do you say?"

T gave him and Doc a long look. „Your conditional probabilities of survival were reduced to thirty-seven percent." he said. Then he walked away taking the bag with him into the house.

Marty and Doc remained at their places. Finally Marty nodded at the statement. „Thirty-seven percent." he repeated. „Sounds great."

...

„Wow. They really cleaned this place up." Marty commented when he saw the school he was used to see in a much more trashed look. „Looks brand-new."

„Remember." Doc said. „According to my theory, you interfered with your parents´ first meeting. If they don´t meet, they won´t fall in love, they won´t get married and they won´t have kids. That´s why your older brother´s disappearing from that photograph. Your sister will follow and unless you repair the damage, you´ll be next."

„Sounds pretty heavy." Marty commented.

„Weight has nothing to do with that." Doc responded.

They crossed the grass and entered the building. T followed them in silence. It was like having a shadow, Marty thought. A big, straight tree trunk shadow with a gun. Fortunately the corridors were empty when they came in.

Marty looked through the window of every door to find his parents. His mother was the first one he spotted. She was sitting right in the middle of the class. The teacher was about to hand papers to every student. They were writing a test.

„Hey, Doc!" he whispered. „There she is." Doc joined him and looked into the class. „Right there, second role." Marty told him.

„Well." Doc said. „I see the resemblance."

In that moment – the teacher just had her back on Lorraine – she started to look at the writing of her neighbour very obviously. Marty couldn´t believe it.

„Holy shit!" he gasped. „She´s cheating."

Doc shrugged and looked at him confused. Marty felt embarrassed. „She´s … She´s my mom." he said as if it would explain everything.

Doc tabbed him on the shoulder as if to say: Take it easy, boy. You will get over it. And perhaps he was right. Of course he was right. How could he ever really believe his mom would be an absolutely perfect being? What student did not cheat from time to time? Jesus, he did. But his mom always kept telling them that cheating was a bad thing and she seemed to be so serious about stuff like that. Almost as serious as she always was, when it came about boys and girls. Especially girls who ran after boys. For his mom this was like a deadly sin. She was very morally in that case. That was why she didn´t like Jennifer. In her opinion she was too frankly and independent for a girl of her age. Of course she didn´t call it that way. For her it was just cheeky.

Finally the bell rang and the lesson was over. The students left their classed and filled the corridor. Marty realized too late that T was still with them but none of the students seemed to notice him. At least not much. A little puzzled look and they passed them to hurry to their next lesson. God bless the short brakes at school.

Lorraine and her friends passed Marty, without noticing him. They were laughing.

„I have an F anyway." he heard his mother say and then she was gone.

„Which one´s your Pop?" Doc asked Marty and looked over the crowd of students.

Marty looked around. How could he be sure to find him here? Suddenly there were so many of them. He´d never noticed that when he was at school himself. But then he really spotted him, though he wished it unseen the next second.

„That´s him." he pointed out embarrassed.

His futur father walked through the corridor, followed by a group of boys, who kept hitting him in his butt constantly. George, pretending to laugh about what they did to him, walked on until he lost his books and scattered them all over the floor.

„Maybe you are adopted." Doc guessed. Marty just didn´t know what to say.

The boys suddenly ran away, when a bald man with a grim face appeared. Marty almost got a shock when he recognized him.

„That´s Strickland." he said. „Jesus, didn´t that guy ever have hair?"

„Shape up, man." Strickland just said to George and ripped a note from his back, where somebody had written Hit Me. „You´re a slacker. You want to be a slacker for the rest of your life?"

He threw the paper to the floor and walked away, without waiting for an answer. George just stood there, helpless, exhausted and ashamed.

„What did your mother ever see in that kid?" Doc asked confused.

„I don´t know, Doc." Marty agreed. „I guess she felt sorry for him, ´cause her dad hit him with the car." Then he suddenly realized what had happened yesterday. „He hit _me_ with the car."

„That´s the Florence Nightingale Effect." Doc said. „It happens in hospitals, when nurses fall in love with their patients." When they were sure, George was on his own, he gave Marty a little push. „Go to it, kid." he said and Marty did. He hurried to George and picked up one of his books for him.

„Hey George, buddy." he greeted and got an almost afraid but mostly disturbed look from him. „I have been looking all over for you." he went on. „You remember me? The guy who saved your life the other day?"

„Oh. Yeah." George finally responded.

„There´s somebody I´d like you to meet." Marty said and led his father over to the group of girls, standing in front of their lockers. „Lorraine." he addressed his mother.

She turned to him and then hit her back against the locker in shock. „Calvin!" she shouted.

Marty felt his confidence shrink. Calvin. God dammit. Why didn´t she just understand, that Calvin Cline was not his name? He told her, his name was Marty.

„I´d like you to meet my good friend George McFly." Marty introduced to come back to the point.

At least George was playing his part well. He grabbed his books a little tighter and walked over to her with a smile. „Hi." he said. „It´s really a pleasure to meet you."

But at this point his well done part was already shattered, because Lorraine didn´t look at him at all. Instead she came up to Marty, raising her hand to his face.

„How is your head?" she asked.

Marty just managed it to avoid her touch by ducking away. „Good." he answered quickly. „Fine."

„I´ve been so worried about you ever since you ran off the other night." Lorrain said, not noticing that George was sneaking away behind her. „Are you okay?" she asked.

Marty, completely out of his role, didn´t got a chance to answer, when the bell rang in full blast.

Lorrain´s friends dragged her away, so she could only say: „I´m sorry. I have to go." Then they were gone.

When the girls passed Doc and T they heard Lorrain call out in passion: „Isn´t he a dreamboy?"

„We should go now." T said, considering that the area got too empty again. They were much better to spot now. Far too much.

Without paying attention to him, Doc walked over to Marty, who looked very depressed.

„Doc, she didn´t even look at him." he said.

„This is more serious than I thought." Doc responded and started to walk up and down the corridor. „Apparently your mother is infatuated with you instead of your father." he revealed his observations.

Marty halted for a second. „Wait a minute. Doc. Are you trying to tell me that my mother … has got the hots for me?" he asked.

„Precisely."

„Wow. This is heavy."

Now Doc halted. „There is that word again." he said. „Heavy. Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the earth´s gravitational pole?"

Marty was confused to the top. What the hell was the Doc talking about? But Doc didn´t wait for him to figure that out.

„The only way we´re going to get those two to successfully mate is if they´re alone together." he went on. „So you´ve got to get your father and mother to interact … in some … sort of social …"

He was lack of words and took a frustrated breath.

„What? You mean like a date?" Marty asked.

„Right!"

„What kind of date? What do kids do in the ´50s?" Marty wanted to know.

„They´re your parents." Doc pointed out. „You must know them. What are their common interests? What do they like to do together?"

Marty tried to think about it and failed. „Nothing." he said and that was the truth. He´d never seen his parents doing anything together just for fun. The collective supper in front of the tube was what was closest to what the Doc just explained.

„Look!" the Doc shouted now. He was standing in front of a wall. „There´s a rhythmic ceremonial ritual coming up."

„Of course, the Enchantment under the Sea dance!" Marty shouted excited. His mother had told him and his siblings at least a hundred times. „They´re supposed to go to this. That´s where they kiss for the first time."

„All right, kid." Doc said. „You stick to your father like glue and make sure, he takes her to that dance."

„All right. Okay, Doc." Marty suddenly got ants in his pants. He would have to wait until lunch brake. Almost an eternity.

Doc looked at his watch. „I´ve got to go." he said. „There´s still a lot of work to do on that car."

„We must not separate." T chipped in. „I can´t protect both of you this way."

„Hey, that´s all right, T." Marty assured him. „Keep watching the Doc. I cope with that myself."

„Negative."

„We have to do a lot of work." Doc argued. „We won´t be able to do so if we don´t split up. Besides, when you glom on Marty, he will never be able to immerse, like he has to to accomplish the mission." The last words he hissed at T, to make his point clear. T didn´t react at his ironic voice.

Doc decided not to argue anymore. He gave Marty one last look for good bye and then turned around. T was unsure for a moment until Marty showed him with a gaze to follow the Doc.

„First of all." Doc said when T caught up with him. „We will go to my mansion. I want to pick up my car."

„Negative." T responded.

„Do you never get tired of saying that? Think about it, if that is what you do with your electrical brain. To have more than just one vehicle would be much more appropriate for the tasks we have to accomplish. Don´t you think?"

T was silent for a moment. Then he turned around to his motorcycle and said: „We have to hurry when we´re there. We must not stay there longer than necessary."

Satisfied Doc followed him and mounted to the seat of the bike behind him, hoping it would be the last time, that he had to ride on that awful machine. When they reached his mansion, T circled the house two times to make sure the T-1000 wouldn´t be there, before he finally stopped in front of the garage. Doc almost jumped off the bike impatiently. He never was that glad to see his yellow car than in this moment. Now all that was left to do, was to pick up some more stuff, especially his lifting jack, and leave the place behind the wheel of his own vehicle.

He started to look around and took an old bag, that hung on a nail, to put the tools in. When he started to do so, he suddenly heard a noise in the back of his garage. Somebody had just knocked against a tin or something like that. Doc frowned. T was at his side immediately. His gun was raised. He gave Doc a sign not to move and headed for the place, where the sound had come from. Another knock was audible. T hesitated.

Doc guessed something a second before he was proven right. He jumped when T aimed at the little girl that was hiding behind the shelf.

„No." he shouted. „Don´t do this. It´s all right. I know her."

The little girl jumped at Doc and he caught her in the motion. The kid hugged him closely.

„She´s the kid of Mr. Jordan, one of my neighbours." Doc explained, lifting up the little one. T put away his gun.

„What are you doing here, Jessie?" Doc asked the girl concerned. „You shouldn´t be here on your own. Didn´t I tell you over and over again?"

„I just wanted to visit you." the five year old said, still hugging him.

„Honey, you know I like you, but you should release me now, ´cause I can´t breathe anymore." Doc said firmly. The girl obeyed with a wide grin.

„Where have you been?" she asked him.

„Away." Doc answered. „I was working."

„The police was here this weekend." she told him.

„What? When?"

„Saturday evening. I saw a police car driving to your house."

„Oh, that. Ehm …" Doc hesitated. „Never mind. They just wanted to ask me something."

„Your door is broken." the girl informed him.

„Yes, I know. I was about to fix it." Doc said. „Listen. You shouldn´t come here again the next time."

„Why?" she asked disappointed.

„Because I have to go away for a while." Doc explained.

„Why do you go away?" she asked in a sad tone.

„I have to work on something. Out of town."

„You always work on something." she pointed out. „Why can´t you do it here?"

„Because its not possible. Don´t worry. I´ll be back."

„When?"

Doc looked at T. „I don´t know yet." he said. „But it won´t be for long."

„Shell I look after your house till you´re back?" the girl offered kindly.

„No!" Doc answered too fast and too loud. „No, that is really not necessary." he said more calm. „Look. I will look you up as soon as I´m back, okay?"

„Will you tell me some more about Science then?" she asked excited.

„Of course I will." Doc promised. „But now I have to go. Come on. I´ll take you home and then …"

„Negative." T interrupted.

„Now that´s enough." Doc argued. „I will be allowed to give her a ride home. It´s not far away."

He took the hand of the little girl and led her to his car without waiting for T to respond.


	5. Manhunt

**Chapter 5**

**Manhunt**

Marty ran out of the cafeteria to the empty corridor. Damn it. How could he possibly have lost him again? Since when was his father such a fast runner? But on the other hand he could understand it quite well. He´d seen trouble coming up. Worse. He´d seen trouble with Biff coming up and decided it would be better to sneak away. Perhaps, Marty thought, it would have been better not to interfere again. But he just couldn´t stand it, seeing this sucker grabbing his mother against her will. He´d only forgotten how big this guy was. For the first time he´d been grateful for an appearance of Strickland. If he hadn´t interrupted, it might have been messy.

But this didn´t matter anymore. He had to catch George before he lost more time than he already had. He made his way through the corridors, hoping he would find him at his locker. But of course he didn´t. Obviously George had already left school.

When Marty bend around a corner, he heard a voice that sent a thrill down his spine. He didn´t understand why until he saw, who the voice belonged to. Immediately he bounced off and hit the wall with his back that it hurt. That was the guy that had tried to kill them. He still was in that police uniform and he was talking to Strickland. He understood from his words that he asked him for help to find some teenager. He truly pretended to be a real police man.

„What the hell is that?" Strickland asked. „This is a school and not a police station. If you guys aren´t able to do your work on your own, go home and look for another job."

Marty had to restrain himself. Jesus, Strickland, shut up, he thought. He always had wished that guy would get back one day what he dealt to others, but surely not this way. Marty just hoped it wouldn´t cause too big damage. For the first time in his life, he decided that it would be better not to interfere.

„Do you have an arrest warrant for that boy?" Strickland asked now.

„No." the Terminator said. „I just want to talk to him."

„And where are your credentials?" Strickland went on. When he got no response he said: „Get out of here you slacker."

The fake police man didn´t say anything. He only shot his hand forward at Strickland´s face. Marty expected Strickland to tremble and fall down with a puzzled face. Instead he stood quite still. Marty just heard a choked groaning. Was that guy holding Strickland on his throat? But deep inside, Marty already knew it wasn´t that way. He was just not ready to believe it yet.

Then the Terminator took back his hand and he just couldn´t deny it any longer. Strickland´s head was splittet. It was splittet right in the middle, like a piece of wood. Marty stopped himself from screaming just in time. That he had to remain silent made it even worse. Inside he was close to going postal. It was not possible. That couldn´t be true. Strickland? Strickland was dead? But … it was Strickland, for gods sake. This man wasn´t supposed to be dead. Marty never liked him but the idea that he could be gone forever, was just … unimaginable.

He heard footsteps approaching and reacted just instinctive. He opened the next door he could reach and slipped in. It was an empty classroom. Marty ran to the windows, opened one of them and rolled out just in that very second when the Terminator opened the door to look inside. Fortunately he didn´t see Marty anymore, so he closed the door and went on. Outside Marty broke down on the wall under the window. His legs couldn´t hold up anymore and his hands were shaking violently. Again and again he saw Stricklands splittet head before his eyes.

It was a warm day but he felt so cold beneath his sweat, that he just couldn´t stop shivering. The sunlight and the free and easy laughter of the students all around made it even more unreal. He never had expected to cry about Strickland but he did. This wasn´t fair! It just was not fair! His shaking went thinner but it took him at least ten minutes to get over it. The worst thing was that he expected the Terminator to come around the corner to get him, every single second. He finally managed it to stand up and start to walk. His legs were not the strongest but at least he was moving. He had to bring some distance between himself and that … that thing.

Somehow, without even noticing it, he reached the town centre. That was the moment when he remembered George. He still had to catch him no matter what had happened. But where could he possibly find him? He didn´t know where his dad lived in 1955.

With a still trembling stomach he entered the café where he´d met him the first time. George wasn´t there. Of course not. He hadn´t expected that. The only reason why he went in here was that he had no damn idea where else to start.

„Wow." Goldie, the waiter shouted when he saw him. „You look like sick, bro."

„Yeah, I don´t feel very hot today." Marty agreed with a soar throat. „Listen, I was just looking for George. Did you see him?"

Goldie shook his head. „Uhuh. No. Wasn´t in here today. Guess he went home." he said and turned to the music box, where a little boy, probably his brother, just tried to activate it.

„Hey, Miles!" Goldie shouted at him angry. „Don´t do that. How many times I have to tell you? You´ll cause me trouble."

„How does it work, Goldie?" Miles asked him curious.

„Let it be." Goldie said. „You can disassemble your own stuff."

He was about to walk away when Marty hold him back. „Wait." he said. „Wait, ehm, do you know where this is? Georges home, I mean … George wanted to tell me but I guess he forgot."

Goldie just shrugged and gave him the address. He didn´t suspect anything. That a crazy teenage stranger from out of town, could be a hobby serial killer that wanted to slaughter the whole McFly family never even struck his mind. Marty thanked him tired and left the café waiter and his too curious little brother. Goldie called after him: „You better go home and sleep a little. You could need it."

Marty didn´t respond. He just thought to himself: I almost closed my eyes forever, pal. But then he made himself focus. Come on, boy. You´ve got to do something.

He had to search the right street but finally he found it. Luck was with him (at least once this day). George was just crossing the street when he arrived. He called him and George walked a little faster.

„Why do you keep following me around?" he wanted to know.

Marty ran and caught up with him. „Look. George." he started to talk to him as steady as he could in his momentarily condition. „I´m telling you George. If you don´t ask Lorraine to that dance, I will regret it for the rest of my life."

„But I can´t go to the dance." George argued. „I miss my favorite TV program, Science Fiction Theatre."

They reached the yard of a house and Marty stopped George from walking further. „Yeah, but George." he tried again. „Lorraine wants to go with you. Give her a brake."

George just walked around Marty. „Look." he said. „I´m just not ready to ask Lorraine out to the dance … and not you or anybody else on this planet is going to make me change my mind."

He opened the door and entered the house. On another day Marty might had tried to stop him but he felt so exhausted and weak, he just couldn´t stand it any longer. He just wanted to go home and lay down. And when he would wake up (in his own room, not in the hiding place) he wanted to learn that all this was nothing but a bad, horrible dream.

But fate shouldn´t be so merciful to him. Not at all.

...

At the hiding place Doc was busy repairing the DeLorean. He was alone in the garage. T was somewhere in the house and Doc wasn´t really interested in what he was doing. At least until he heard a sound from inside the house. It sounded like cracking wood and if he wasn´t completely wrong he also heard shattering glass. What in the name of Sir Isaak H. Newton was this robot doing?

The door was opened and T came in. He carried a handful of weapons and lay them onto the bench, only to turn around and walk out again. Doc just stood there, stunned and not able to say a word. After T did the same thing a second time he followed him into the living room.

„What are you doing?" he asked and paused when he saw what had happened to the living room furniture. It was ripped open. In a pocket that was hidden behind it, there were lots of weapons of every size one could imagine. The whole room looked like a armory of the army.

„So that was the reason why they didn´t set their television down here." Doc mumbled. Then he realized what all this meant.

„The police doesn´t know about these weapons." he pointed out.

„No." was all T said in response.

„But … we have to tell them."

„Negative. These weapons will be very useful against the T-1000."

„But this is evidence in a crime." Doc argued.

„The subjects responsible for that are already in jail." T said and went on preparing the weapons. Doc watched him opening one of the guns and load it with ammunition.

„Are you familiar with firing weapons?" he asked him.

Doc´s eyes went round. „ME?" he asked. „Of course not. I´m a scientist and not an infantryman."

„My files about you tell me that you had shooting lessons while you worked for the government of your country in the years 1943 and 44." T pointed out.

Doc just couldn´t believe it. „So that you do know about me." he said. „But you don´t know who Copernicus is."

T didn´t give a response. Doc just turned around and went back to the garage. There was a lot of work left to do on the DeLorean. Of course, he had fixed the starter but he still had to figure out how the energy system was connected with the flux capacitor. Therefore he had to take a look at the bottom of the car. He started to look around and suddenly realized that he had forgotten something very important when he had been at his house.

„What is the matter?" T asked him when he entered the garage again and noticed Doc´s searching motions.

„I forgot to bring my lifting jack." Doc explained reluctantly.

T´s reaction to that information was instantly. He just stepped went over to the car, reached under it and lifted it up by hand. Doc starred at him with an open mouth. Then he realized what T was trying to say.

„I would feel saver with a real lifting jack." he said.

„I will hold it." T assured him.

Doc hesitated. He really didn´t want to trust this machine with his life but he had to go on with the work. There was no time to lose.

„Ah, well." he said and was about to lay down.

In that moment they heard a car stopping outside, right in front of the house. They both froze and looked at the gate where they could hear the sound of the motor. A door was opened and slammed.

Then the car drove away.

Doc an T shared a silent glance. T put down the car and reached for his riffle. Slowly he headed for the door what was a part of the gate. He gave Doc a wave to hide and the scientist ducked behind the car.

Now they heard footsteps approaching the gate. T prepared to fire. When the door was opened, he halted in the middle of the movement. It was Marty who entered the garage. The boy saw the riffle and skipped back.

„God dammit." he shouted angry. „Put that thing away. I´ve got enough for one day."

T lowered the gun and Marty trembled inside. „We heard a car." T explained.

„Yeah, I´m sorry, but I couldn´t walk the four miles anymore today." Marty said in an ironic tone.

He didn´t even pay attention to Doc, who came to him from behind the car, and just entered the house. In the living room he stopped for a moment, puzzled by the unexpected sight. But then he dismissed it and fell into the armchair. Doc and T followed him.

„Marty. What happened?" Doc asked him.

„Who was in the car?" T wanted to know.

„No idea." Marty answered weakly. „A guy from out of town. Relax your brother didn´t follow me."

„How can you be so sure?"

Marty didn´t look at him or the Doc. He was starring into the air, where he suddenly saw the picture of Strickland again. „Because I know where he is." he finally answered T´s question.

„Where?"

Marty tried to blink the picture away. It didn´t work. Doc grabbed his arm. „Marty. Tell us what happened." he asked once more.

Marty looked at him, then at T and at last back into the air before him. „Strickland is dead." he said.

„The principal of your school?" Doc recognized the name. Marty just nodded.

„Great Scott." Doc whispered. Then he realized Marty´s condition and grabbed his arm again to give him some comfort.

„I saw it." Marty told him. He searched in his head for the right words but he couldn´t find them.

„It´s all right, Marty." Doc said. „Just relax. It wasn´t your fault. You couldn´t have done anything."

„What is about your other mission?" T demanded to know. „Were you successful?"

Doc turned to him and gave him an angry look.

„No." Marty answered before he could say anything. „I tried. I really tried it but he´s just … He …"

Again he was lack of words.

„You have to convince him or our mission will fail." T interrupted him.

„Hey, you don´t have to tell me, okay?" Marty shouted at him. „I really tried everything. But he sais that he won´t ask her for the dance … and nobody on this planet can change his mind." he repeated Georges words and leaned his head against the backrest. Then suddenly he remembered the rest of the talk. George had mentioned something called Science Fiction Theatre. And Marty knew he was writing Science Fiction Stories. He´d told him in the cafeteria. So maybe he could use that to …

Marty sat up.

„Perhaps I´ve got an idea." he said. „But I´m not sure … It´s this way. He is a big crack about Science Fiction. I mean, probably he also believes in aliens and stuff like this. Perhaps … if I could convince him that an alien wants him to ask Lorraine for the dance … Oh, Jesus, that´s stupid."

He fell back into the armchair.

„No." Doc disagreed. „That is a good idea. After all, what do you have to lose?"

„Yeah, but … how am I supposte to convince him, that an alien is talking to him?" His gaze switched over to T. The robot from the future looked back at him indifferently.

„You could do it." Marty said and thought about it. „I mean, he is some sort of an alien, isn´t he? He just doesn´t look very much like one. Wait! I know!" he shouted. This time it was him who overwhelmed Doc with his excitement. He said: „I still have that radiation suite. The one I wore when I came here. If you would wear that, you could pretend to be an extraterrestrial and tell George … you know. That he has to ask Lorraine to that dance."

„I have a better suggestion." T answered and put his gun away. Instead he took a switchblade out of his pocket and set it at his arm.

„Wh … What are you doing?" Marty asked confused.

T didn´t answer. He just started to cut into his own flesh. A red liquid that looked like real blood escaped from the line where he cut. Marty and Doc watched him paralyzed with wide open mouths.

He cut from his elbow down to his wrist. Then he threw away the knife and grabbed the flesh on his elbow. Marty and Doc gasped in disbelieve at the same time. Then T ripped off his skin in a fast move, revealing the mechanical skeleton beneath it. Doc and Marty screamed.

...

It was in the middle of the night. The house of the McFly family was a peaceful shape in the moonlight. One of dozens in a town that never saw anything stranger than a gypsy circus traveling through once a year. Tonight one of its citizens would experience something much more extraordinary.

Marty and T parked the car on the other side of the street. The only reason why Doc allowed them to take his car was simple. The motorcycle would have been much too loud. Besides this way Marty could stay put while T made his way up to the window of George´s room. They would be connected the whole time, just in case something unexpected should happen. Marty would be able to hear what T was about to tell his dad and otherwise he would be able to call for help, if the T-1000 should show up.

Honestly he was very glad when T finally got out of the car. Having him sit next to him with that metallic arm was just … heavy. He told T all he needed to know to fool George the right way. Now he sat behind the wheel and crossed his fingers as well as his toes.

T had climbed into the room of the boy that would be the father of Martin McFly in several years. The boy was fast asleep. He didn´t even move when T opened the window. Now he stood next to his bed and looked down at him. The human had fallen asleep with his head on a periodica with the headline Fantastic Story Magazine. The picture on it was an underdeveloped sketch of an extraterrestrial in a spacesuit. T wondered for a moment, what kind of imagination humans had, when they made up such ridiculous pictures.

Then he took the headphones Martin had given him and carefully put them over the ears of the sleeping boy. He still didn´t understand completely why it was necessary to wake him up with that sound that Martin called music. In his opinion it would have been much more effective to give the boy an electric shock. But Martin had objected to do so and so T had given in to do it his way. Probably it was better he admitted. The boy might have screamed because of the pain and woken up the whole house.

„Ready T?" Marty asked over his communicator.

„Ready." T replied quietly.

„Okay. You know what you have to tell him."

„I´ll start now." T informed Marty. Then he pushed the button and the music started to scream into the boy´s ears. George jumped up in his bed, his face distorted with shock, pain and fear. When he saw T his eyes widened. T stopped the music and George fell back into his pillows.

„Who are you?" he demanded to know.

„Again." Marty instructed T over the communicator and T obeyed.

Again George was tortured by the overloud rock music. He grabbed his head and for a moment T worried that he could rip off the headphones. But George was too scared to even think of that. When T switched off the music again, he looked very exhausted.

„And now the big talk." Marty said excited. „Go on."

T raised his skeleton hand so the boy could see it. He moved his fingers demonstratively. If that was still possible, George´s eyes widened even more now.

T said: „Now listen to me very carefully."


	6. Interrupted Plans

**Chapter 6**

**Interrupted Plans**

„Marty!" George yelled over the street. He looked completely messed up like he just fell out of his bed. With an expression as if someone was chasing him, he crossed the street and hurried over to Marty, who stood right next to a soda machine at the Texaco station. Of course he had been waiting there for hours but he pretended absolutely convincingly to be surprised.

„Hey, George." he greeted. „Buddy. You weren´t at school. What have you been doing all day?"

„I overslept." George told him. His hair was wet with sweat and hung into his forehead. „Look. I need your help." he begged. „I have to ask Lorraine out but I don´t know how to do it."

Yes, Marty cheered inside. Outside he remained cool. „All right." he said. „Just keep your pants on. She´s right over there in the café."

He tried to open the bottle, he´d just gotten from the soda machine. In a matter of fact, he did so since George had arrived. By now his hand was hurting.

„God! How do you …?" he cursed under his breath.

George just took the bottle from him and opened it with the opener that was part of the soda machine. He handed Marty the bottle, who stood there, wondering about the curiosities of this time.

He almost forgot to follow George, who was already on his way over to the café.

„What made you change your mind, George?" he asked him.

„Last night, an extraterrestrial cyborg came down from planet Skynet and told me that if I don´t take Lorraine out, he´d melt my brain." George told him desperately.

„Yeah, well." Marty replied totally taken aback. He really hadn´t expected George to tell him the true story. „Let´s just keep this brain-melting stuff to ourselves, okay?" he suggested.

„Oh, Yeah. Yeah." George agreed almost happy.

„All right." Marty led George to the corner. From this position they could peak into the café, where Lorraine sat with her girlfriends. „There she is, George. Now just go in there and invite her."

„Okay, but I don´t know what to say."

„Oh, say anything, George." Marty instructed him. Slowly he became impatient. „Say whatever´s natural, the first thing that comes to your mind."

„Nothing´s coming to my mind." George responded desperately.

Marty cursed inside. „Jesus, George. It´s a wonder I was even born." he mumbled.

„What? What?" George asked confused.

„Nothing. Nothing." Marty said and hit the back of his head against the wall. „Look." he started a new try. „Tell her destiny brought you together. Tell her that she is the most beautiful girl you have ever seen in the world." he quoted from his own repertoire. „Girls like that stuff."

When he turned to George, he saw him writing something in his little notepad. „What are you doing, George?" he asked him confused.

„I´m writing this down, this is good stuff." George explained.

„Yeah. Okay." Marty said and brushed a strand of wet hair away from Georges forehead. „Let´s go." he said, dragged him to the café and pushed him inside. For a moment he really thought George would walk over to Lorraine´s table immediately but he was wrong. His old man just stood there and didn´t move. Marty lost his patience and pushed him to go. Finally George moved forward.

Marty sneaked over to the bar, where T was waiting for him since Lorraine and her friends had come in here. There was a cup of black coffee standing before him. Untouched of course. Marty threw the big guy a smirking glance but got no reaction at all. Together they watched George how he headed for the table. Before he actually reached them though, he changed his target again to get a milk from the shop owner and took a sip for bravery. Marty just wondered but didn´t say anything. It was almost funny to watch that scene. If it wouldn´t have been about his life, he could have enjoyed it.

Finally George walked over to Lorraine, holding the notepad out to read straight from it.

„Lorraine." he addressed her. „My density has popped me to you."

Marty cursed and hurried from T´s side around the bar to get a seat closer to George, so he could hear better. The look his mother gave George was not the most optimistic one he could have wished for. What the hell did he say to her?

„What?" he heard Lorraine ask.

„Oh. What I meant to say …" George started all over again.

„Wait a minute." Lorraine interrupted him. „Don´t I know you from somewhere?"

„Yes." George agreed quite happy. „Yes. I´m George. George McFly. I´m your density. I mean … your destiny."

For a moment Lorraine was surprised. Then she smiled at him and Marty got some new hope. Though it was a smile you would give a child that just said something very cute. But it was a smile at least.

„Hey, McFly!" someone yelled.

Marty suddenly felt like in the old west. The music stopped and everybody turned around to see who just entered the saloon. When he learned it was Biff and his bullies, he cursed. He hadn´t seen them come in.

„I thought I told you never to come in here." Biff yelled at George. He obviously enjoyed it to be watched by everybody while he was pushing around some poor guy like George. „Well, it´s going to cost you." he said and approached George. „How much money you got on you?"

„Well, how much you want, Biff?" George asked sheepish.

That´s enough, Marty thought. Not this way. He can´t just walk in and mess up my plan. When Biff passed him, he tripped him up and Biff promptly hit the floor. The crowd reacted to it with an impressed groan.

Biff was back on his feet immediately and stood tall – very tall – before Marty, who tried to keep a straight face at him. Jesus, he thought for himself. He really underestimated the size of that guy.

„All right, punk." Biff addressed him very angry. „Now I´m going to …"

„Wow, Biff." Marty interrupted him and looked out of the window. „What´s that?"

Fortunately he convinced him and Biff truly turned around. As soon as he faced him again, Marty punched him into his face. Biff flew backwards onto a table, grunting in surprise. Everybody in the café gasped. Lorraine jumped up from her seat, grabbing Georges shoulder in excitement.

Marty on the other hand didn´t lose any more time. He ran, pushing Biff´s bullies when he passed them. Surprised by this sudden attack they fell to the ground in a straight line.

„That´s Calvin Klein." Lorraine whispered on Georges side. „My God, he´s a dream."

Biff just stood up again. His face was distorted with anger. He turned to the door to follow Marty and faced another unexpected challenger. He never saw the face before. It was an old man in a black jacket, probably some stupid adult, who thought he had to interfere in a business that wasn´t his.

„What are you looking at, butthead?" he asked him in a threatening voice.

The guy just stood there and looked at him in silence. Then he took something black out of his pocket and aimed down with it. Biff only heard a short plop and then he felt a shooting pain in his leg. In the very first moment, he didn´t even realize that he had been shot. He squinted and after a few seconds he finally screamed. Everybody in the café looked at him in disbelieve. None of the students had ever seen a shooting or had even heard about a muffler. They just saw the big Biff screaming and crawling on the floor.

Outside Marty wondered why Biff didn´t follow him, but when he looked back he understood. T was standing in front of Biff and then suddenly, Biff began to scream. Marty was almost afraid T might have hurt him or worse. But he didn´t got a chance to think about it. When he turned his head he faced a new danger. A much more deadly danger than Biff could have been.

Over the street, looking straight into his eyes, the T-1000 in the shape of a police officer approached him. Marty jumped. His first instinct told him, he would need some more speed to escape. So he grabbed a boy who passed him with his wooden scooter and broke off the handle bar.

„Sorry, kid. I need this." he mumbled and ran away. At the next corner he jumped at the board and hung himself onto the next passing bumper, only to feel a breeze in his back, where the T-1000 just missed him. When he looked back he saw the T-1000 running after him. His hands were no hands anymore but long glistening knifes. Marty almost released the bumper in shock.

Inside the café the people crowded the windows to watch what was going on out there. They were mumbling at each other in excitement. `_Look at that,´_ one said. `_What´s that?´_ another asked. `_He´s got knifes on his hands´_, someone pointed out. But the only thing Lorraine was interested in was: „He´s an absolute dream." T looked at the same direction and spotted Marty who was followed by the T-1000. He immediately forgot about the screaming boy on the floor and ran out of the door.

Marty still hung on the bumper. The T-1000 came closer now. He could hear his footsteps behind him. God, he even could feel him coming closer. His tracker now turned left and Marty got thrown aside. He managed it to hold on one more second, then he headed for the door of a parked car that had just been opened and had to let go. He passed the parked car and ran right into two people who just left the court house. They all hit the ground. Papers flew all around them and confused Marty for almost an eternity. When he managed it to reorientate himself, he saw the policeman with the knifearms running high speed at him. The man raised his right arm without getting slower. His eyes were straight on Marty. He almost believed seeing them glim. The knife sparkled in the sunlight. The woman next to Marty began to scream and then the T-1000 was on him. Marty had only enough time to wonder, why he was still sitting on the ground, staring at this futuristic murderous thing that came to stab him. Now it was too late. He gasped.

Right in the moment when the T-1000 was going to stab him, he was hit into the side. A full speed running man got stroke down by a full speed running bike that jumped at him like a predator. The motor of the bike roared like a lion when T ran with it into the T-1000.

Marty´s heart stopped pounding for a moment. Then he heard the crash. T mowed down the bushes next to the way, right through the very tight space between the parked car and the wall of the courthouse. He raced through the shrubbery in a very tight bow. Marty only saw his shadow moving behind the car. Somewhere in there he lost the T-1000. He spurted out onto the street again, circled and headed for Marty. There was a leak in his tank. He lost fuel. Something – probably the knifearm of the T-1000 – had ripped open the bike.

T stopped next to Marty and grabbed him. When he sat behind his guardian, Marty saw the T-1000 coming out of the bushes again. The woman and the man he´d hit before, screamed and ran away. T aimed his gun at the T-1000 and shot. He distorted him several times but didn´t stop him. Finally he pulled out to get away. Departing the place he shot one more time. But this time he didn´t aim for the T-1000. He shot at the puddle of fuel that was on the floor. The fuel caught fire and ran to the parked car. The blast of the explosion threw away the T-1000 and disturbed him long enough for them to get away.

...

They managed it to almost reach the hiding place before the bike gave up its ghost. They dismounted and wheeled it the rest of the way.

„I have to fix it." T commented when they reached the gateway of the house.

„Yeah." Marty agreed and padded T on his back. „And to refuel."

They entered the garage and Marty made his way into the house, while T remained at the garage. He couldn´t wait to tell Doc about what happened. This was just too heavy, he probably wouldn´t believe him.

When he didn´t find him downstairs he looked for him upstairs. When he reached the top of the stairs his excitement dropped down to the core. What he heard was Doc´s voice, but it was the tape he heard. He recognized the words painfully.

„Oh, my god." the voice said. „They found me, I don´t know how but they found me. Run for it, Marty!" Then he heard the audio rewinding and the same sentence was repeated.

Marty felt the grief again. Last time he´d heard these words he´d lost a friend. The same friend who sat now in there, listening to his own last words for some reason over and over again. Did he know, Marty wondered. He peaked inside and saw Doc sitting in front of the tube, holding the camera, while the part was played again.

He cleared his throat and entered the room. „Doc?" he addressed him shy.

Doc spun around caught in the act. His face was appalled by Marty´s unexpected appearance.

„Oh, Marty." he said. „I didn´t hear you come in. Fascinating device, this video unit."

For the first time in his life, Marty felt awkward in Doc´s presence. „Listen, Doc." he said heading for him. „You know, there is something I haven´t told you about the night we made that tape …"

„Please, Marty, don´t tell me." Doc interrupted him adamantine and passed him. „No man should know too much about his own destiny." he yelled throughout the house.

Marty followed him to the next room. „You don´t understand." he tried to tell him but he wouldn´t listen.

„I do understand." he assured him still yelling as if he could make Marty stop when he just talked loud enough himself. „If I know too much about my own future, I could endanger my own existence." He turned to Marty and faced him. „Just as you´ve endangered yours."

For a moment Marty felt painfully remembered on his failures. Not just in the night at Twin Pines Mall but also after his arrival here in 1955. He´d already caused enough damage. Perhaps it was really better if he would just let his hands from things he didn´t understand. He never wanted that responsibility anyway.

„You´re right." he said after some inner struggle.

Doc was satisfied with that. He smiled again and turned around. „Now, let me show you my plan for sending you home." he said excited.

Marty noticed for the first time that there was a model of the town, build on a table in the middle of the room. He just couldn´t believe his eyes.

„Please excuse the crudity of this model." Doc said pointing on it. „I didn´t have time to build it to scale or to paint it."

Marty just stared at this amazing work unable to say anything else than: „It´s good."

„Oh, thank you. Thank you." Doc responded and leaned over his model to point at the clock tower. Marty noticed that he´d even put a little watch into it to make it look like the real clock tower.

„We run industrial-strength electrical cable from the top of the clock tower down, suspending it over the street between these two lampposts." Doc explained. „Meanwhile, we´ve outfitted the time vehicle with a big pole and a hook like you probably have seen in the garage, which runs directly into the flux capacitor."

Marty didn´t say anything about it. He actually hadn´t paid attention to the DeLorean at all when he passed the garage, so he couldn´t tell. Doc took up a little red toy car and rounded the model. „At the calculated moment you start off from down the street, driving directly toward the cable, accelerating to 88 miles per hour." He sat the car onto the painted street and pushed it forward. Then he pointed at the clock tower again. „According to the flyer, at precisely 10:04 p.m. this Saturday night, lightening will strike the clock tower, electrifying the cable just as the connecting hook makes contact, thereby sending 1.21 gigawatts into the flux capacitor and sending you back to 1985."

Marty was just stunned by that all-embracing speech he just heard. He still couldn´t believe that Doc did all this – especially that crackbrained accurate model – in only one day.

„All right, now." Doc went on without a brake. „Watch this. You wind up the car and release it." he ordered Marty and handed him the little car.

Marty couldn´t do anything but obey, so he winded up the key that stak in the back of the toy and watched Doc plug in a big plug.

„I simulate the lightening." Doc explained and put on a pair of goggles. Then he took two clutches and hold them up. „Ready?" he asked dramatically.

Marty nodded. He suddenly was infected. This at least was a familiar situation for him. Assisting Doc in one of his experiments. He watched Doc affixing the first clutch at the modeled lampposts. The other one he held close to the clock tower without really touching it yet. He gave Marty a look.

„Set." he ordered.

Marty sat down the car, but kept holding it, until Doc gave him the signal.

„Release!" he said and Marty did. The little car drove along the model street. When it was at the right position Doc connected the clutch with the clock tower. An electrical lightening stroke through the cable and threw out a lot of sparks. A cloud of smoke rose and it made a sound like a small explosion. Marty and Doc both jumped back, while the little car drove on, now burning like a big candle. It hit the paper buildings and drove off the table. On the floor it made one more meter ahead to the door, then it became unsteady and collapsed. The floor caught fire and Doc jumped forward grabbing an extinguisher to douse it.

„You´re inspiring me with a lot of confidence, Doc." Marty commented the sight.

„Don´t worry." Doc responded. „I´ll take care of the idea. You take care of your Pop."

He finished the dousing and turned to Marty. „By the way. What happened today? Did he ask her out?" he wanted to know.

Marty felt sort of embarrassed. „What happened today?" he repeated the question.

„Yeah." Doc pushed for an answer.

Marty hesitated. This was like admitting to his parents that he´d failed at school again, after he promised them to learn. His excitement he´d felt earlier to tell Doc this story was gone.

„Ehm, I think we should go down for that." he said. „Where we can sit down."

...

„I still don´t understand." George said when he left his house to hang out his laundry. „How am I supposed to go to the dance with her if she is already going to the dance with you?"

Marty followed George to the yard with a second bag of laundry. „Well, because George, she wants to go with you." he said trying not to look over his shoulder where he expected the T-1000 to appear every minute or over the street, where T sat on his repaired motorcycle to watch him. „She just doesn´t know it yet." he went on. „That´s why I invented her. To give her a chance to find out. That´s why we got to show her that you, George McFly, are a fighter. You´re somebody who´s gonna stand up for yourself. Somebody who´s gonna protect her."

„Yeah, but I´ve never picked up a fight in my entire life." George doubted Marty´s argumentation.

They reached the yard and sat down the washes.

„Look, you´re not going to be picking a fight, dad." Marty said, realizing too late what he´d said. „Dad-dad-daddy-o." he tried to fix his slip. „You´re coming to her rescue, right? Okay let´s go over the plan again." he ordered and started to walk up and down, imitating Doc without realizing it. „8:55, where are you going to be?" he asked while George started to hang out his laundry.

„I´m going to be at the dance." George answered like demanded.

„Right. And where am I going to be?"

„You´ll be in the car, with her." George answered again.

„Right, okay. So right around 9:00 she´s going to get very angry with me."

„Why is she going to get angry with you?" George wanted to know cause he didn´t understand the draft.

„Well, because, George, nice girls get angry when guys take advantage of them."

In this moment George finally got it – and was shocked „You mean you´re going to go touch her on her …"

„No." Marty stopped him just in time. „No, George, look. It´s just an act. Right? Okay? So 9 o´clock, you´re strolling through the parking lot. You see us struggling in the car. You walk up, you open the door and you say …" His growing excitement was answered with silence. Disappointed he turned around. „Your line, George." he whined.

„Oh, yes." George said and posed like the worst actor ever. "Hey you, get your damn hands off her!" he recited what Marty had told him earlier. Then he hesitated. „You really thing I ought to swear?" he asked.

„Yes, definitely." Marty said. „Goddamn it, George, swear. Okay. So now you come up. You punch me in the stomach. I´m out for the count, right? And you and Lorraine live happily ever after."

George smiled a somehow cute touched smile. „Oh, you make it sound so easy." he said. „I just … I wish I wasn´t so scared."

„George, there´s nothing to be scared of." Marty assured him. „All it takes is a little self-confidence. You know, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."

He lay his hand on his father´s shoulder for a moment. And yes, he was quiet aware of the irony in the fact that he lectured his own father with the words, Doc always used to lecture him, when he was unsure of something. But in this moment it was just the best thing to say. It definitely always worked on him. And as long as Doc never knew it … whatever. Then he had an idea. He decided to prove it to George. To get him some sort of a training. He stepped back and offered him his stomach.

„Tell you what, George." he said. „Give me a shot. Right here, give me your best shot."

„No." George objected. „I´m not going to hit you in the stomach."

„Come on, George, come on." Marty demanded a try. „Right here. Come on."

George obeyed and tapped Marty at his stomach so he couldn´t have felt it and gave him a brave grin.

„There, that was good." he said. „She´ll believe that. I know she will. I´m fine."

He walked away and left Marty alone, thinking: This is going to be much harder than I thought.

„Tell you what, George." he said and followed him to start all over again.


	7. The Great Night

**Chapter 7**

**The Great Night**

There it was. The night everything depended on. Marty, Doc and T had brought the time machine to the street where the big deal was supposte to be setted. While Doc and T prepared the cable for Marty´s return to the future, Marty changed in the toilette of Lou´s café and slipped into that trashy grey suit, Doc bought him a day earlier.

It was a heavy thing. This evening would show if he would live, survive and even if he would be born, not to mention the low possibilities he had to return to his own time successfully and the only thing he could think of was the scene he had to play with his mother in the car. It was just not natural. Everything inside of him wanted to quit the whole thing and stay where he was. But of course he had no choice. He´d messed it up and he had to fix it now.

He went over to where he´d left Doc and T. The radio in Doc´s car was playing quietly some music, creating an almost chilly atmosphere. Doc just put up a ladder to climb up the lampposte. T was nowhere to be seen.

„Ready?" Doc asked him with a grin.

„And you?" Marty responded.

„Almost. Almost. Just one more thing." Doc said and looked up to the clock tower. Marty followed his gaze and spotted T who was on the top of the building, affixing the big cable on some sort of an improved antenna. Doc raised a walkie talkie to his mouth and said: „Just a little more to the right."

He watched T with a wide grin following his order.

„You know." Marty said. „You´re enjoying this a little too much."

„Ah, poppycock." Doc waved with his hand. „He´s very happy doing that for me. It would be much too dangerous for me to climb up there." he repeated T´s words.

„Understand."

The music that was played in the radio finished and the announcer began to speak: _„Hill Valley weather this Saturday night. Mostly clear, with some scattered clouds. Lows tonight, in the upper forties. …"_

„Are you sure about the storm?" Doc asked concerned and looked up.

„Since when can weathermen predict the weather?" Marty responded. „Let alone the future."

Doc nodded in agreement. „You know Marty, I´m going to be very sad to see you go." he suddenly admitted. „You really made a difference in my life. You´ve given me something to shoot for."

He walked towards the time machine, putting out his jacket. He threw it over to Marty, who was just about to round the car. He collided with the jacket halfway over to him and managed it to grab it like an animal that had jumped on him.

„Just knowing," Doc continued without even noticing. „That I´m going to be around to see 1985. That I´m going to succeed in this." He uncovered a part of the time machine. „That I´m going to have a chance to travel through time!" he shouted excited.

Marty hesitated. There it was again. The big theme between him and Doc. The big secret he didn´t reveal yet. The thing that wanted to come out more than anything else, since he´d arrived here. Why the hell shouldn´t he be able to tell him? For what was that time trip doing any good, when he couldn´t save his friend´s life with it?

„It´s going to be very hard waiting 30 years before I can talk to you about everything that´s happened in the past few days." Doc said. „I´m really gonna miss you, Marty."

Marty fought against all the curses, that wanted to blast out of him in this moment. „I´m really gonna miss you." he said instead, hoping Doc would understand the indication. But he didn´t. Or didn´t want to. He just turned around to take care of the time machine again. Marty watched him depart and couldn´t stand it any longer.

„Doc, about the future." he started.

„No!" Doc shouted immediately. „Marty! We´ve already agreed that having information about the future can be extremely dangerous. Even if your intentions are good, it can backfire drastically."

Marty was close to cry. Why didn´t he want to know? Why didn´t he allow him to save his life? T had already told them that Doc´s life was valuable. Should he at the end have been able to save him here in the past only to see him die in the future? Why? What was the meaning of that? What sense was there in the rescue of a life if you couldn´t prevent his later death?

„Whatever you´ve got to tell me, I´ll find out through the natural course of time." Doc finished his statement and left Marty behind with more curses in his mind. It wasn´t fair. Fuck the future. Fuck the god damn fate. What did he have to do with that future? He didn´t want him to die.

T returned from his task on the clock tower and Doc continued his work on the DeLorean. Marty shared a glance with T, who knew another future than he did.

„Tell me something, T." he demanded. He spoke quietly so Doc couldn´t hear him. „Is there any necessity in Doc´s death after he build the time machine?"

„My mission is to protect the life of Dr. Brown." T said. „I don´t have information about his life after the invention of time travel."

„You don´t?" Marty asked surprised.

„My activator didn´t have the time to feed my subroutines with unnecessary informations." T explained. „I only know that I have to protect his life."

„Who is your activator?" Marty asked and suddenly realized that he´d never thought about that before.

„I´m not authorized to answer that question." T said.

„Why?"

„It might disturb the natural course of time."

Marty cursed. How he hated that phrase. „So it is someone we know?" he asked. „Or will know?"

„I´m not authorized …"

„Yeah, all right, to answer that question." Marty interrupted impatiently. „It´s all right. I´ve got the message."

He thought about the information he´d gotten. There was at least one thing, he could be sure about now.

„Please excuse me." he said and headed for the café. There was something he had to do, before he was going to that dance. If he couldn´t talk to Doc, he would tell him what he needed to know another way.

...

„Evening, Dr. Brown." the policeman asked. Doc turned to him. For a moment his heart started to pound hard in fear when he saw the uniform. But he knew the man. It was not the T-1000. So he turned to his work again, to hide his shocked face.

„What´s with the wire?" the policeman wanted to know.

„Oh, just … a little weather experiment." Doc answered as calm as he could.

„What you got under here?" the man asked and lifted the cover off the DeLorean.

„No! Don´t touch that!" Doc shouted. „It´s some new specialized weather-sensing equipment."

The policeman released the cover. „You got a permit for that?" he asked.

Doc turned his back on him caught in the act. „´Course I do." he mumbled and came down from his ladder. He went to the officer and took out his wallet.

„Just a second." he said. „Let´s see if I can find it in here. Ahaaaa."

He handed the man fifty bucks with a straight serious face. The officer took it with a smile.

„You aren´t going to set anything on fire this time, are you, Doc?" he asked him and departed.

He passed Marty, who´d just had hidden a certain letter in Doc´s jacket, and looked back at him one more time.

Doc just fought against the laughter what was inside of him and said: „Naaaa!"

Finally the officer walked away.

„Hey, kid." Doc addressed Marty. „You better pick up your mom and get going."

„Yeah, right." Marty said and sighed.

„You look a little pale." Doc noticed. „Are you okay?"

„I don´t know, Doc." Marty admitted. „I mean. It´s just this whole thing with my mother."

„What what what?" Doc asked nervously.

„I just don´t know if I can go through with it." Marty explained. „Hitting on her."

„Nobody said anything about hitting her." Doc tried to calm him down. „You´ll just take a few liberties with her."

Marty couldn´t believe it. Even he didn´t understand his language.

„Jesus, that´s what I mean." he said. „God. I can´t believe I´m going to feel up my own mother. You know this is the kind of thing that could screw me up permanently. Wha… What if I go back to the future and end up being … gay?"

Doc just shook his head. „Why shouldn´t you be happy anyway?" he said.

This threw Marty off his balance completely. He sighed and decided to end this chat before it could become even more awkward. „I gotta go pick up my mother." he said.

„Good." Doc agreed and opened the door of the car for him.

„Listen." Marty said and took out the photograph of his siblings. Only that there were no siblings anymore. Just him. He said: „If things don´t work out at the dance tonight and my folks don´t get back together … when do you thing I´ll start to fade out?"

Doc gave him an indefinable look with a raised eyebrow and said: „Beats the shit out of me."

Not sure if he´d understood it, Marty nodded and got into the car. This was far too heavy. He didn´t recall being so disturbed ever before in his life. Doc and T watched him go while he drove along the street.

„You´ll follow him." Doc ordered T without looking at him.

„Negative." T objected. „My mission is to protect _your_ life. As long as you are out here, the T-1000 will have a chance to get you."

Doc turned around to face T. „This T-1000 has no idea where I am. Until this day, he tried to get me over Marty. It´s more than possible that he will continue that course. So you will have an eye on the kid. Understand?" When T didn´t respond he said: „I have the communicator. If there will be any trouble, I can call you."

T remained silent for a few more seconds. Then he turned around without another word and mounted his motorcycle. „Take care!" he ordered Doc. Then he started and followed Marty´s car.

...

„Somebody´s coming."

Finally, was all Marty was able to think. It was about time, George showed up here. Goddamn it, why was he so late? This act had already gone far too long for his taste. He´d never felt that exhausted before. The door flew open and a strong hand grabbed him at his collar. It wasn´t George´s hand. Marty got no time to think about who it was. He was pulled out of the car to face a very angry Biff.

„Because of you I was shot in my leg, you son of a bitch!" he hissed at him. „And I´m going to take it out of your ass."

He threw him over to his bullies, who caught Marty easily, though they were as drunk as Biff.

„Let him go, Biff. You´re drunk." Lorraine told him, leaning out of the car.

Biff just turned to her with a slimy grin. „Well, lookee what we have here." he said.

Lorraine guessed what would come next and tried to escape through her own door. But Biff jumped at her much faster than one would have expected it from him in his present condition. „No!" he shouted and grabbed her. „Stay right here with me. Come on, Lorraine."

„Let me go!" Lorraine protested energetically but Biff was too strong for her.

„Leave her alone, you bastard!" Marty yelled but Biff´s bullies were to strong for him too.

„Take him in back!" Biff ordered his guys. „I´ll be right there."

He turned to Lorraine again only to realize that his guys were still standing there watching.

„Go on!" he ordered annoyed and closed the door. „This ain´t no peep show."

Marty wanted to jump at him but in this moment one of the bullies punched him in his stomach – just as George should have pretended to do it. Only that this was no pretending. This was real. Marty lost his breath and had not even the chance to struggle, when they lifted him up and carried him away.

After a while one of them shouted: „Hey, let´s put him in there!"

They ran further and then he was thrown into something he couldn´t define. He looked up at them and then they closed a door in front of him. Was he getting sick now? That thing had actually looked like the door of a trunk.

„That´s for messing up my hair." one of them said outside.

„What the hell are you doing to my car?" someone else shouted.

So he really was in a trunk. Great.

„Hey, beat it, spook." the bully answered. „This don´t concern you."

Marty heard several doors being opened and the movement of the car told him that some people just got out of the car.

„Who you call spook, peckerwood?" another man said.

„Hey, hey, listen guys." Biff´s man said, now much less confident. „I don´t want to mess with no reefer addicts, okay?"

„Get home to your mama, boy." the first man said and Marty heard Biff´s guys run away, calling for help. He immediately started to pound against the trunkdoor. His own movement made him feel that he was lying on something pointy. Dammit, that hurt.

„Hey, let me out of here!" he shouted. His own voice sounded much too loud in the little room.

Somebody shook the handle. „Reginald, where are your keys?" the man asked.

Now Marty knew what he was lying on. „Hey, the keys are in the trunk." he shouted.

„Say that again." the man asked.

„I said the keys are in here." Marty repeated.

„Oh, great." he heard the man say and agreed with him in silence.

„Listen, I´ve got to get out of here." he shouted. „It´s an emergency."

The two men discussed something with each other and then one of them told him to wait. Funny, he thought but did as he was asked to. After a few moments he heard a scratching sound at the door. Obviously they tried to open the trunk with something else than the key. It took several minutes in what Marty was literally on the tenterhooks.

„Come on, guys. Please hurry." he begged.

„Give me a hand here, Reginald." the man asked. The thing with what he worked slipped and Marty heard a shout. Then the trunk swung open.

„Damn it, man! I sliced my hand!" the man cursed.

Marty jumped out of the trunk, released and grateful. „Whose are these?" he asked and threw the keys to the man who answered. He just noticed between two heartbeats that these guys had to be the musicians, who were supposed to play at the dance. But that thought vanished as fast as it had come. Then he just ran. He´d lost too much time already. What if he would come too late? What if Biff already did …

He reached the corner and saw the car. But what he saw was not what he´d expected. His old man stood there over a knocked out Biff and looked at his own hand, amazed by what he just did. He wasn´t the only one. Lorraine stared at Biff and up at George absolutely stunned. Finally George managed it to calm himself down. He asked her with a shaking voice: „Are you okay?"

Marty watched him helping her up. His mother´s eyes were constantly fixed on George´s while they were walking away together. Some curious students began to crowd around the scene. Everybody wanted to be sure and see it with his own eyes that the great Biff truly was beaten. Some of them happened to stand right behind Marty, as if he was some sort of an invisible borderline that was not to be crossed.

He took out the photograph again to check out the success. His siblings were still missing. That meant it wasn´t done yet. Of course. The dance. George still had to kiss her to convince her she would spend the rest of her life with him. That´s what his mother had always told him.

He made his way through the crowd behind him and hurried to come back to the car of the musicians. They had to get the hell in there and start playing again. These two had had to dance. Marty had just rounded the corner again, when somebody blocked his way.

„Doc!" he cried out confused when he saw the scientist standing there. „What are you doing here? I thought you would wait at the clock tower."

Doc smiled. But it was somehow not right. It didn´t look like a normal Doc-Brown-smile. Marty hesitated.

„Thank you, Marty." Doc said and approached him. „That´s all I wanted to know."

Marty realized his mistake even before he noticed the motion of Doc´s hand. He just jumped and the knife missed him about two inches. He hit the floor and rolled until his back collided with the wall. When he looked up, Doc was over him. His hand was a glistening knife and his face was cold and merciless.

„No!" Marty whispered, remembering T´s words. Whoever got touched by him is dead.

The false Doc grabbed him and lifted him up to his own level. Then he pointed his knifearm at him to stab him in the very next moment. And then he got shot. He trembled back and his shape became liquid. Marty struggled himself to stand steady again. T shot again but this time the T-1000 was faster. He avoided the bullet and attacked T, who lost his weapon and was thrown backwards. When his back collided with the wall, it broke and stones were flying around. T grabbed his enemy and threw _him_ away now. The T-1000 hit one of the columns and shattered it the same way T had shattered the wall.

Marty was just stunned.

„Run!" T shouted at him. „Finish your mission! I take care of him!"

The T-1000 attacked again and T burst a hole into the wall. He and the other one disappeared in it. Marty didn´t stay any longer. He just ran. T was right. If he wanted to be born, he had to finish it. There was no time to think about anything else now. He reached the car with the musicians again, completely breathless.

„Hey guys, you´ve got to get back in there and finish the dance." he told them.

„Hey man." one of them turned to him. „Look at Marvin´s hand. He can´t play with this hand, and we can´t play without him."

Marty saw the bandaged hand of the musician and felt a shock of energy in his veins. That couldn´t be the end. It mustn´t be.

„Look, Marvin." he addressed the injured man. „Marvin, you´ve got to play. See that´s where they kiss for the first time on the dancefloor and if there´s no music they can´t dance and if they can´t dance they can´t kiss and if they can´t kiss they can´t fall in love and I´m history."

„Hey man, the dance is over." Marvin said ignoring his hysteric talk. „Unless you know somebody else that can play the guitar."

Marty hold his breath for a second. „I can." he shouted not believing this himself.

Marvin just gave him a look. „You´re kidding." he said.

„No! No, I can play the guitar." Marty assured. „I can do that. Please guys, you have to go in there again. This is an emergency. My future depends on that dance."

Marvin shared a thoughtful look with his fellas. Teenagers, this look said. Always think it´s about life and death even if it is just about some pimples. Eventuality he faced Marty again … and nodded.

„All right, boy." he said. „But don´t mess this up."

„I won´t." Marty promised. „Hurry now. We don´t have much time. The people are waiting."

He went in with the group and followed them backstage. There Marvin handed him his guitar making him promise to be careful with it, while the others went over to their instruments. Marty quickly affixed the photograph of his siblings under the strings and then hurried onto the stage.

„Ehm, what are we playing?" he asked nervous.

„The next song on the list is Earth Angel." Marvin told him. „You know that one?"

„Ehm, yeah." Marty answered. „Sure."

Marvin gave him a doubting look but gave his fellas a signal to start the music. Marty joined in the rhythm more on instinct than with his head. His mind suddenly was somewhere else. He only saw the lights that were blinding him and the crowd in front of him and he felt dizzy. Though his fingers still knew the movement and even Marvin seemed convinced now. He walked over to the microphone and said: „This is for all you lovers out there."

The lights got dimmed and then he began to sing:

_Earth Angel, Earth Angel._

_Will you be mine?_

_My darling dear,_

_love you all time._

Marty watched George and Lorraine on the dancefloor how they were dancing between all the other couples. The picture on his guitar hadn´t changed yet. Come on, he begged. Just kiss her. What are you waiting for? Suddenly another boy showed up and pushed his father away from his mother. Though she obviously protested, George didn´t do anything. He just ducked and turned around disappointed.

It was in that moment, when Marty felt more than just a little dizzy because of his first gig. Suddenly he couldn´t play anymore. It was like his fingers had forgotten how to do it. Like they would regress to what they had been, before he learned it. The same time he started to feel weak. More and more. What was happening to him?

„Hey, boy." the pianist addressed him concerned. „You´re all right?"

That was the push he needed to understand. Now he knew what was happening to him. It began. He started to fade out. His time was almost over.

„I can´t play." he said, barely believing it.

Down in the crowd his mother cried for help from George. The nasty boy still had her and laughed about his silly joke.

„George!" she called desperately.

Marty knew she wouldn´t need his help to get rid of that idiot. But she wanted him to do it. It was her last test for him and he was so close to blow it. Marty looked at the photograph. His image was fading. Scared to death he raised his hand in front of his eyes. He could watch it getting thinner until he could see right through it. The blood went out of his head and he felt himself collapsing.

„George!" his mother shouted again.

Marty fell down on his knees. The moment had come. He faded. His feelings went thin.

„George." he whispered.

Down in the crowd he heard a sound like something had hit the floor. One more breath and he would be gone. And then it suddenly stopped. His feelings returned to him and his head became clear.

„_Love is the vision of your happiness."_ Marvin sang and in that moment Marty just knew that everything was going to be all right. He jumped up to his feet and saw his father kissing his mother at the dancefloor. The idiot lay on the ground, looking more confused than hurt. Immediately Marty started to play again and the song got his round magical sound back.

_Earth Angel, Earth Angel._

_Please be mine?_

_My darling dear,_

_Love you for all time._

Marty looked at his photograph. His image was strong again and a second later his sister reappeared next to him and after her, his brother. On the dancefloor his mother hugged his father closely while they were moving slowly to the music. George looked up to Marty and raised his hand for a greet. Marty answered the wave. He never knew what a great feeling it was, just to be able to move his own fingers.

_I´m just a fool._

_A fool in love _

_with you._

The song ended and the crowd applauded. None of them could have ever cheered more than Marty in that moment. He ripped the photograph off the guitar. His brother and sister. He often heard about musicians who took photographs of their girlfriends or families with them for their gigs. He´d never understood why … until today.

„Yeah, man, that was good." Marvin congratulated him. „Let´s do another one."

Marty hesitated. „No, ehm. No, I got to go." he said.

„Come on, man." Marvin pushed with a bride smile. „Let´s do something that really cooks."

All Marty heard was the cheering of the crowd. His blood ran through his veins. After all this was his first gig. The feeling was amazing. These people really wanted to hear him.

„Something that cooks." he repeated Marvin´s words.

In this moment he just forgot about everything. He didn´t think of T or the T-1000. He didn´t think of Doc or his appointment to reach the lightening strike in time. He just felt the excitement of the moment.

„All right." he said and walked over to the microphone.

Marvin stood back for him and Marty faced the audience. His audience. At least for one song. What should he choose? But then he knew it. The only appropriate song he could think of.

„All right." he said into the microphone. „All right, this is an oldie." He suddenly remembered in what time he was in and hesitated. Marvin looked at him confused. „Well, ehm. It´s an oldie where I come from." he said and turned around to the band before anyone could think of further questioning his speech.

„All right, guys, listen." he said. „This is a blues riff in B. Watch me for the changes, and try and keep up, okay?"

Then he just started to play and as soon as the band understood what he was playing they joined in like they´d never done anything else. The audience got swept away by the rhythm as well what was pretty easy. Marty walked over to the microphone and began to sing.

_Way down in Louisiana down in New Orleans,_

_Way back up in the woods among the evergreens._

_There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood,_

_Where lived a country boy name of Johnny B. Goode._

_He never ever learned to read or write so well_

_But he could play the guitar just like he´s ringin` a bell._

_Go go_

_Go Johnny go, go_

_Go Johnny, go, go, go_

_Go Johnny go, go_

_Go Johnny go, go, go_

_Johnny B. Goode._

The crowd was dancing and celebrating like it would be new years eve. Marty had never felt a push like that before. His feet started to move without he had to make them as well as his hands played the strings without he had to remember the movements. Yeah, he was back. That was the feeling of being alive. He was alive and he enjoyed it. It was like a flash.

The guitar in his hand transformed into a tool with what he believed he could do everything. He even started to play some heavy metal riffs without noticing the disturbed faces of his fellas. He fell down to his knees and shoved himself over the floor, lying on his back. Damn that was good. Then he rose again, playing wilder and wilder. He didn´t even noticed that he was the only one who still played until he kicked away the amplifier and fell to his knees again for a last high-pitch note. The great finale. But why was nobody cheering?

When the tone finally was gone and he opened his eyes, he faced a silent audience, that stared at him in confusion. Marty felt embarrassed all the sudden and stood up. He handed Marvin the guitar back and opened his tie a little more, what suddenly felt too tight.

„I guess you guys aren´t ready for that yet." he said with a grin. „But your kids are gonna love it."

Marvin gave him an asking look but Marty didn´t intent to explain any more. He raised his hand for a quick bye bye and turned around to leave the stage.

Again he stopped in shock. In the shadow of the curtain he saw a shape heading for him, that somehow looked not quite normal. When it came closer he found out why. It wasn´t a human shape at all. It had human form but there was no skin. Just a skeleton. Though it had no face either, Marty had recognized the body shape. That was T, he was absolutely certain. Only that he had lost all his … his … well, his his. What had made him look like him. Marty ran over to him to stop him from showing up to the crowd.

„Jesus." he gasped. „What the hell did he do to you?"

The T-skeleton suddenly raised two big guns and aimed at Marty.

„He gave me his shape." he said and was about to fire.

A second before he could do so, someone grabbed him. It was T. The real T. He didn´t look much better than his image. Half of his face was ripped off, so Marty could see the inner side of his skull. One of his arms was missing and all over his body there were parts without skin. Now the two Terminators started to struggle and all Marty could do was to stand there and watch. But no. There was some more he could do. Some more he had to do. Because so far he was the only one who knew about this very present danger for everybody in this gym. So he ran back to the stage and grabbed a very startled Marvin at his collar.

„We´ve got to get those people out of here." he cried. „I mean it …" But when Marvin just looked at him startled, Marty headed for the microphone at once. „Everybody out!" he cried into the micro and caused a damn awful feedback. Everybody covered their ears at this.

„Are you crazy?" Marvin tried to pull him back.

„We need to run." Marty cried. „I mean it, the party´s over."

„Hey, you were the one who told us to keep going. To stay on course."

„If we stay on course …" Marty yelled. „We are dead. We are all dead!"

Now Marvin really dragged him away from the microphone. But the same time one of the other musicians shouted: „Down!"

Marty saw the T-1000 in his T-disguise aiming his guns at them. And this time he really shot. Marty ducked just in time to avoid the bullets. Somehow the musicians managed it to survive the attack too. Down in the crowd the people started to scream.

Marty jumped up and ran. Right and left to him bullets hit the floor. He screamed and ran right into T who once again had appeared from out of nowhere. He grabbed Marty and swung him around, so he was between him and the bullets. Marty heard the bullets hit T´s back and screamed again. Down in the screaming crowed he saw his parents running away and leaving the building. At least they were save.

T released him and pushed him forward.

„Run!" he ordered him just like before and then he started shooting at the T-1000. His image got hit at the right shoulder. That was the last thing Marty saw, before he ran away.


	8. Confrontation

**All right, guys. Just one thing about the last chapter. I know I changed the part where George hit Biff. (in the trailer it was supposte to be the T-1000) I changed that intentionally, because it was the only part of the trailer that made no sense for me. The scene would never be the same if Biff wouldn´t be Biff in it. So I changed it. And for all who don´t know that: Not everything we see in trailers turns out to be in the film. Trailers are made several weeks before the film is even ready. That´s part of the promotion. So be kind if I took that freedom as well. The trailer was made several weeks before I finished my story ;-)**

**Okay that was my statement. Now back to the story. Here we go.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Confrontation**

Doc walked up and down in front of the clock tower. The storm already began and still there was no Marty. He looked at his watch, probably for the hundredth time. He cursed. Where was that kid? Then finally a car came down the street. His car. Marty stopped and got out.

„You are late!" Doc shouted while he walked over to him. „Do you have no concept of time?"

Marty gave him a grin. Then he suddenly grabbed him by his collar and pushed him backwards. Doc´s back collided painfully with the tree that grew at the edge of the courthouse square. But that was nothing against the pain he felt, when the knife stabbed his shoulder. He screamed in pain and fear, realizing that the T-1000 had found him and that he had no chance to call for help in the last moment. His communicator lay on the roof of the DeLorean as well as the gun he had brought with him for protection. Both went useless within less than a minute.

He opened his eyes and faced a cruel smiling face that looked like Marty. But it wasn´t him. In that moment the face transformed, got liquid and rebuild the face of the policeman Doc saw in that fateful night when he first meet Marty and T. The night he invented time travel – the reason why he was going to die now.

The T-1000 raised a finger what immediately transformed into a pointy thing that grew longer and longer in front of Doc´s eyes. In this moment Doc suddenly remembered the words of T, when he told them that whoever got touched by the T-1000 would be dead. He used Marty´s image to trick him. Did this mean …?

He felt a sudden anger. The cold eyes of the T-1000 didn´t change. He didn´t even blink.

„You are terminated." he said and then got hit on his shoulder from behind before he could stab Doc. The stroke split his shoulder and made him tremble. The knife was pulled out of Doc´s shoulder and he broke down to the ground. A shoot blew away the other shoulder of the T-1000 and threw him backwards. T appeared over Doc and pointed his hand at him.

„Hold still." he ordered him. A red light came out of his hand and impacted at his wound. It felt like it would burn his flesh away. Doc screamed. After a few seconds that felt like several hours, T switched off the laser and released Doc.

„The wound is sealed now." he informed him.

In that moment the T-1000 attacked him again and T was thrown backwards. He lost his gun but not before he´d shot one last bullet at his attacker. He hit the T-1000 at the shoulder. Doc crawled away as fast as he could. Behind him he heard the shooting and then there was a burst. When he dared to look up he saw that T and the T-1000 were fighting each other on the other side of the street. They had smashed a window and continued on the wall next to it. At the end the T-1000 threw T completely through the wall. After he finished him he turned around to finally take care of his main target.

Doc didn´t hesitate any longer. He jumped up and reached for the gun, T had lost before. His right arm was still immobilized so he had to use the left one. Though he never had been very good with his left arm, he managed it to load the gun and shot. His first shot missed but the second one hit. The T-1000 trembled back in surprise but it didn´t stop him for long. After he accepted the fact that Doc really shot him, he headed for him again. Doc shot again. This time he was joined by another shot that hit the T-1000 from behind.

The assassine turned around and looked at T who just came out of the whole in the building. In a rage he rushed forward and attacked him again. Both of them crashed through the wall a second time and left a big cloud of dust.

Doc suddenly heard running footsteps and spun around, aiming at whoever would try to attack him this time and saw … Marty.

„Marty!" he shouted. „Thank god you´re all right!"

Marty´s eyes widened when he saw him … and the gun. He stopped and stared at him in fear. His eyes flickered and the next thing Doc knew was that Marty headed for the gun he had left on the roof of the DeLorean.

„No, Marty!" he shouted. „Don´t. It´s me."

Marty aimed at him with the gun, a desperate expression on his face. What had the kid gone through, Doc wondered.

„You´re not the Doc." he shouted.

„But I am." Doc tried to convince him.

„No. That´s impossible. T said everybody you touch is dead. So how can it be the Doc? How?"

he was fighting tears while he spoke.

„I thought the same thing about you." Doc explained. „He tricked me with your image. I believed you were dead. I´m glad you´re not." He approached Marty slowly.

„How can I trust you?" Marty asked still aiming at him.

Doc threw away the gun he was holding and raised his arms. „Because I would never hurt you, Marty." he said.

Marty hesitated, still unsure what to believe. Doc faced him, looked straight into his eyes.

„You know I´m not the enemy." he said.

Finally Marty was convinced. He lowered the gun and walked over to him. For a moment neither of them said a word. Marty just looked at him estimating. He looked completely depleted. He probably ran the whole way here from school after the T-1000 obviously stole the car.

„It _is_ you." he finally said.

„It´s me!" Doc cheered and was more than surprised when Marty suddenly pulled him in for a hug.

„I thought he killed you." he told him. „When he came to me in your form … T said, everybody who got touched by that thing is dead."

Doc released him with a huge smile. „We´re not, as you see." he pointed out.

Over them a rumbling thunder came up.

„But now we have to hurry. The time is running." Doc yelled over the hauling wind and rounded the DeLorean. Together they uncovered it quickly.

„I don´t know how long T will be able to keep that thing away from us." Doc explained by getting in the car.

Marty threw a look over his shoulder while Doc set the time circuits. There was no T and no T-1000.

„You left on Oktober 26, 1985 at 1:35 a.m. and we´ll send you back at exactly the same time." Doc explained. „It´ll be like you never left."

„What´s about you?" Marty yelled. „And T? He can´t stop that Terminator thing. He told us."

„Don´t worry Marty!" Doc yelled back. „I have a plan!"

„What plan?" Marty asked. „What you want to do?"

„No time!" Doc answered. „You must hurry. I´ll tell you in thirty years. If it works."

Marty rolled his eyes. That was what he should have expected to hear. Doc pointed into the air.

„Now! I painted a white line on the street way over there." he told him. „That´s where you start from. I´ve calculated the precise distance taking into account the acceleration speed and wind resistance retroactive from that moment the lightening strikes … which will be …" he looked on his watch and screamed in shock. „In exactly 7 minutes and 22 seconds! Hurry!"

He handed Marty an alarm-clock and instructed him: „When this alarm goes off, you hit the gas."

„Okay."

Marty got into the car, ready to go. In that moment he saw Doc putting his hands into his pockets because of the cold wind. A confused expression let Marty worry and when Doc took out his letter he just knew it. His plan failed.

„What´s the meaning of that?" Doc asked him after reading the note what said: Do not open until 1985.

„You´ll find out in thirty years." Marty answered and was about to close the door of the car.

„It´s about the future, isn´t it?" Doc yelled desperately and walked away. „Information about the future!"

„Wait a minute!" Marty begged and followed him.

„I warned you about this, kid!" Doc yelled. „The consequences could be disastrous!"

„Doc, that´s a risk you gonna have to take!" Marty yelled back. „Your life depends on it!"

„No!" Doc yelled stubborn as always and teared up the letter. „I refuse to accept the responsibility!"

„In that case, I´ll tell you straight now!" Marty decided but Doc stopped his ears.

A loud explosion disturbed the talk and then they heard a shot. Next to them the tree caught fire. When they turned they saw T and the T-1000 struggling in front of Ruths Frock Shop on the other end of the street.. Again a shot rang out from their gun but didn´t hit anything this time. T grabbed the other one and hit the wall with him. The glass and the wall burst and they were gone again.

The tree cracked and one of its boughs broke and came down, ripping away the cable, Doc had prepared for the lightening strike. The plug was pulled from the connection on the roof of the clock tower and fell down like a dead snake.

„Great Scott!" Doc shouted. The clock showed almost ten o´clock now. They hadn´t much time left.

One more securing glance back to the smashed shop where T and his antagonist still fought each other and he made a decision. He took some rope he had prepared earlier just in case he would need it.

„You get the cable!" he instructed Marty. „I´ll throw the rope down to you!"

„Right!" Marty agreed. „I got it!"

He and Doc ran to the stairs. While Doc made his way into the building, Marty got the cable and waited with burning feet. Another minute went by until he finally saw Doc coming out onto the ledge, trowing down the rope to him. As fast as he could he affixed it on the cable so Doc could pull it up. He watched him untie it again and suddenly it came to his mind, that this might be his last chance, to tell Doc what he needed to tell him.

„Doc!" he shouted as loud as he could against the storm. „I have to tell you about the future!"

Doc hold his hand to his ear. „What?" he yelled down to him.

„I have to tell you about the future!" Marty repeated. „In the night I go back in time you got …"

Suddenly a shot came out of nowhere and missed Doc just for a few inches. Doc slipped and almost fell down. He grabbed the head of the stony lion just in time to hold on it. As if to make it more dramatical the clock began to strike. Marty spun around and saw the T-1000 aiming at the hanging Doc with his gun. Without thinking about the risk he rushed to stop him. When the T-1000 saw him he aimed at him and Marty took on the brake. Right when the T-1000 shot he got shot himself. The bullet missed Marty as close as it had missed the Doc.

T grabbed his enemy from behind. He looked awfully distorted. Even more than before.

„Go!" he shouted at Marty the way he´d done it so often in this last week. „You´ve got less than four minutes!"

Marty looked up to Doc one last time. When he saw that he was okay, he obeyed and ran to the DeLorean. It was just unbelievable that he had to run while everybody else was fighting for their lives. But he knew he had no choice. That was the way it had to be.

He hit the gas and drove up the road until he saw the white line where Doc had painted a Start Here for him. He turned the car and got out to affix the hook for his last run. Back inside the car he cursed. Why the hell did all this happen? He was sitting here, while his friends where close to being killed. And even if Doc wasn´t killed now, he would in the future. God, why did he have to tear up that damn letter? If he only had had the time to tell him.

It hit him like a lightening strike. Of course he had time. He got a time machine, for gods sake. He could just go back a little earlier and warn Doc. Immediately he set his destination time ten minutes earlier than Doc did before. Yes, he thought. Okay. That might work. The time circuits were on, everything worked. He was ready to start.

Like if it wanted him to break down on his highest level, the engines stopped without any advance warning. From one second to the other everything was mute. He couldn´t believe it.

„No." he said. „No, no, no." he repeated it like a prayer and tried to start the engine. „Come on. Come on." he begged. „Not this time. Not now!"

The engine didn´t come up. It just cranked and coughed like an old man. The clicking sound of the up and down turning batterie was just cruel. Marty begged and cried for heavens help but it didn´t work. It was like something was against him. Then the alarm. The little clock on his board startet to ring loudly, just as if to tell him that he as well could give up. You´re already too late, it seemed to yell. Just let go. You can´t win. It´s over.

Marty didn´t stop trying.

„Come on. Here we go. Come on. This time, please." he begged. It still didn´t work.

A sudden hit on the window made him jump. The T-1000 was standing next to his door, staring at him in rage. Marty screamed. The Robot hit the roof of the car with his knifearm and a blade bored itself through the metal. But this impact also made the machines run again. Marty didn´t wait. He pushed the gas. The T-1000 was dragged along with him. He just didn´t let go. Marty could hear him climbing to his roof. Even his tries to get rid off him with several fast turns didn´t work. Another blade came through the roof and missed him only about some inches. Marty ducked and drove on.

„Get off!" he yelled. „Get off my car, you bastard!"

He already had 70 miles per hour. Why the hell was that thing after him? It should be after Doc in the first place. Then suddenly there was more noise. Something else hit the roof and pushed the car down for a moment. The blade was pulled out of the roof and Marty saw the T-1000 fly over into the window of a shop next to the street.

Yes, he cheered. Thumbs up for T. I knew he would make it.

The car now approached the meeting point. Marty looked out of the window and spotted Doc who still tried to handle the unplugged cable. A thrill ran through Marty´s spine. He now ran 85 miles per hour. He had no chance to help him. He closed his eyes and put the gas down. Doc hurried to the lamp and stuck the plug in. Then the lightening stroke the tower. A huge crash and a running lightening that came down the cable. Then Marty heard it all around him and a blinding light made him close his eyes even faster. Then there was the noise of two shots and he was gone.

Doc just stood up amazed by what just happened in front of his very own eyes. The car with Marty in it was gone and so was the storm. It was like it ended its terrible fight against the earth right in the moment he burst his power into the clock. Now there was only a blowing wind left, what made the scene on the empty street with the two burning skid marks even more mysterious.

Doc looked at the burning cable between the two lampposts. The hook still hung on it. Far ahead something came out of a cracked shop-window, next to the street. The shape appeared liquid at first but soon it got back to the cold face of the T-1000. It stared at Doc with merciless determination.

Doc didn´t move.

„Come on T." he mumbled begging. „What are you waiting for?"


	9. Back In Time

**Chapter 9**

**Back In Time**

Saturday

Oktober 26, 1985

1:35 PM

The time machine crossed the space-time-border and appeared in 1985 with three big blasts, burst out into the air. It had still full speed and headed for the end of the road. It´s driver hit the brake but couldn´t stop it fast enough. T clung to the roof. His engines were frozen but he managed it to let go. He got thrown off the car and flew right into a group of bushes what grew next to the clock towers stairs. The same bushes he´d thrown the T-1000 into, thirty years earlier.

The DeLorean hit the door of the towns church assembly of christ what marked the end of the street and cracked right through it. For a moment it just stood there as if it had been parked in. Then it sat back, turned around and got back to the street. Its frame was still steaming from the ice. The door swung open and Marty jumped out exclaiming happily.

Released he looked around.

„You look great." he mumbled gracefully. „Everything looks great."

He didn´t notice T´s presence nor did he pay attention to the bushes next to him. After a look on a digital watch, he went on talking to himself excited. „1:24. I still got time. I´m coming, Doc!"

He got back in the car but again the engine went dead. The boy cursed and tried to bring it up.

Squealing tires interrupted his attempts. A bus passed the wrecked car full speed and caught the boy´s attention. He followed the vehicle with his eyes as it made its way around a corner.

„Libyans." he mumbled and ran after the car, leaving the time machine behind.

That was the moment, T had waited for. He came out of his hiding place and went over to the car.

Still on his way he took out his switchblade and started to cut open the flesh of his stomach. After he ripped it off he opened the energy supporter and took out his backup hydrogen fuel cell. Experienced and purposive he integrated it into the powersystem of the time machine.

The plan was risky. The cell wouldn´t stand more than two trips before it would burn out. If it would last that long at all. Though he still had one cell left, his primary cell, but yet he wasn´t programmed nor able to terminate himself by putting it out. Furthermore wouldn´t he be able to finish his mission if he would be switched off. Hope was not a part of his subroutines but in this moment he considered that hoping for the best, was the only thing that could be done in this case.

He got into the car and set his destination time, then closed the door and drove on. After accelerating to 88 miles per hour the time machine made its way back in time.

A bright light was blinding T´s gaze for a moment. When it was gone the T-1000 suddenly appeared standing right in the middle of the street. The DeLorean hit him full speed, dragged him along and finally run him over. T hit the brakes and stopped the car with squeaking tires. He turned it and drove back to a gleefully shouting Doctor Emmet Brown.

When he reached him he opened the door for him and the scientist got in the passenger seat, a big smile on his face, stretched from ear to ear.

„Precisely on schedule." he congratulated T. „Destination time set?"

„I´ll do it now." T responded and tipped the time into the time circuits. Saturday, Juli 30, 2018, 10:07 p.m.

„I was sent back in time exactly at 10:07 p.m." he explained. „The same time the T-1000 was sent back by John Connor on another location. We´ll find John Connor in Los Angeles resistance headquarters."

„How will we get there?" Doc asked. „The DeLorean isn´t designed to travel through space."

„No." T agreed. „But the technology in the future is able to combine both. Time travel and traveling through space. That´s how the T-1000 got here being sent from Los Angeles of the future."

„You mean, both of you." Doc corrected him.

„No. Just the T-1000." he was corrected in return. „I started here. In Hill Valley."

„Aha." Doc said amazed. „Who sent you? You never told us."

„No. I didn´t."

„Why not?"

„I´m not authorized to answer that question."

„Was it me?" Doc asked a little scared. „Or Marty? No, don´t tell me. I think I shouldn´t know that."

„Neither of you sent me back." T answered anyway.

Doc thought it over carefully. „I know I shouldn´t do this." he finally said. „After all … I will see the future. Not exactly what I always considered a good precondition for an undisturbed course of time."

His hand slipped into the pocket of his jacket and touched the peaces of Marty´s letter. For some reason he hadn´t been able to throw it away. Well, perhaps there was something about the future that was so much connected with the past, that nobody, not even he, was able to avoid it.

„You´re already a part of that future." T pointed out. „Besides. Didn´t you invent the time machine for exactly that reason? Traveling into the future?"

Doc felt caught in the act. „Technically I haven´t invented it yet." he said but even for him it sounded like an excuse. „You´re right of course." he admitted. „All right, let´s go. We have a long way to go."

„Not really." T objected. „It will be a short trip."

Something hit the back of the car and they heard a scratching noise.

„Ah, our friend´s here, too." Doc said. „That´s our cue."

„Affirmative." T said and hit the gas.

The T-1000 clung to the roof the same way he´d done it before, while T accelerated quickly, driving up the street. The time machine hit the 88 miles per hour and disappeared into thin air. For the second time this night.


	10. Salvation

**Chapter** **10**

**Salvation**

Saturday

Juli 30, 2018

10:07

The time machine passed the border of time with a big blast. T still ran full speed and accelerated even more. Then he hit the brakes and spun around the car in a tight circle. The sudden stop threw the T-1000 off the roof. Without waiting for him to hit the ground, T pushed the gas again and drove away.

Doc just sat next to him and clung into his seat. When he saw the shape of Hill Valley through the windscreen he gasped. Most of the buildings were damaged and the clock tower didn´t exist anymore. Instead of it there was just a heap of ruins.

„This is the Hill Valley of 2018?" he asked horrified.

„It is." T answered simply. „It wasn´t a main target so most of the citizens survived the attack of Judgement Day. Though they were captured later by the machines and brought into slavery."

Doc shook his head and stopped his ears. „Don´t tell me. I don´t want to know about it." he said.

„We have to go to the house of my activators." T continued. „There we can use the space-time-portal to get to Los Angeles."

Doc didn´t say anything. He just let T drive on and remained silently stunned until they reached the place. He couldn´t tell in what part of the town this house was set. Everything seemed so strange in the destructed shape all around him. This was definitely not the town he had grown up and lived in. That this should be the future that was meant to be, almost scared him to death.

T stopped the car in the driveway of the house and they got out. Nobody was there to be seen. No sound was there to be heard. Not even a bird was singing. It was like life itself had left this once so vital town. In this once familiar streets, Doc could feel nothing but shadows. Ghosts of the dead. A strange feeling for a man of science like him.

He entered the house with T leading the way. A certain nervousness came up inside of him. This was the house where whoever activated T lived. Doc was almost afraid of who he would meet upstairs. Though he followed T without hesitation.

The futuristic cyborg led him into a room that reminded him on the room in their hiding place, where he´d built up the model for Marty to demonstrate his plan. But instead of a paper model there was a big machine in the centre of the room. At least one wall was completely covered with consoles and screens. On the other side there was some sort of a platform, framed with four piers which were covered over and over with wires. That had to be the space-time-portal T had  
mentioned before.

T immediately went over to the console what was still working and entered several codes. Soon the lights went on and the computer was ready. T pushed some more buttons and typed their destination into a part of the console that looked suspiciously familiar to Doc. It had a strange resemblance with the time circuits of the DeLorean.

„Ready." T informed him. „We may go now."

„W... Wait a minute." Doc said. „Didn´t you say this is the house of your activator? Who is he?"

„My activator went over to Los Angeles right after I went back in time." T explained. „We must hurry. The T-1000 will find us soon. This is the only power source in town and he will be able to localize it."

Doc agreed and followed T onto the platform. Though it was a strange feeling, being surrounded by that flashing and humming piers. He felt an itching on his skin, when the flashing grew stronger.

„Are you sure this is safe?" he yelled to T over the noise of the engine.

„We´ll be fine." T assured him. Then a striking sound exploded around them and made Doc´s ears ringing. The environment seemed to disappear and then everything went dark.

...

John Connor switched off the system. It was done. He´d done it. He really sent back an assassin to kill a person he never met in his entire life. Now he was a murderer like the machines. But he would live. His mother would live so she would bear him, the great leader of the resistance. The best good hope of human kind.

But what kind is it, he asked himself. What is left for human kind when its best hope is a murderer? Someone who puts his own life over another´s? But he had to do it, right? He had no choice. His life was too important. Wasn´t it? He had a destiny to fulfill. That´s what everybody always told him since he was born. How could he doubt that destiny? He couldn´t allow the machines to destroy that destiny. He mustn´t.

He turned away from the time portal. He couldn´t see it any longer.

„John?" his wife asked him.

He hesitated. What should he say now? I´m sorry? She wasn´t the one who needed his sorry.

„I need some fresh air." he said and left.

On his way out he passed some of his people. All of them fellas in fights and battle. All of them friends the one way or the other. Everyone of them believed in him. They believed in their leader. The man. The thing was that he´d never really felt like The Man. He´d just taken that role because he had to. People need a leader. Always. For some reason he was the one who had to be it. And somehow he had managed it to be it. But right now he couldn´stand their gazes. He felt like he would betray them. You really think you now the guy you look at? Surprise. He´s the biggest cheater this world has ever seen.

John hurried to get out. He swung the door open and almost jumped out. The guard spun around in alarm. When he saw John he lowered the gun and gave him a disturbed look. John raised his hand to calm him down and went on.

He made his way along the front side of the building. It was the late afternoon and he could see far ahead over the city. The shambles. On days like this he was close to think of a ghost city. None of the shattered buildings looked like people would stil life in there. But they did. Their own headquarter was destroyed at its highest floors too. The base was in the cellar. This way they avoided to be detected by the machines. Everything looked just dead.

John Connor reached the corner. If he should dare to round the building? Usually it wasn´t their way, going somewhere alone. They always left at least with one more other soldier. But today John felt like breaking the rules. Perhaps he even thought, that if something should happen to him right now, he would deserve it. So he rounded the corner and ran into someone who stood there right in his way. When he looked up to face the guy, he expected to see one of his guards, making a round. But instead he looked into a very familiar face – at least a half of it.

There were two reasons why he didn´t call for his men at once. The first one was the shock. The second one was the big hand that grabbed his face the very next moment. John found himself pushed against the wall, before he could even think: He´s come to kill me.

„No." he gasped but much too quiet and smoothed up for the guards at the door to hear him. He struggled but there was no use. The Terminator´s grip was too strong. He let go and faced the man he once considered his friend, almost a father.

„So that´s it?" he said quite calm. „You´re here to kill me."

The Terminator didn´t give a response. He just stared at him. Then he stepped aside a little to let another one have a look at John. „No." this other one said. „I just wanted to have a look at the man who wants to see me dead."

John couldn´t believe it. The man he looked at now … he´d never seen him before. Not even a picture of him, so he couldn´t possibly know who he was. But he did. He knew instantly who stood before him, when the man came into his sight. This was Dr. Emmet Brown. The man he just decided to terminate. He was here, pretty much alive. That could only mean that his plan had failed. His Terminator didn´t make it. Time travel would be invented and … and …

„How did you come here?" he asked. „What do you want from me?"

„Just talk." Doc said. „But perhaps a little more privacy would be better than this place."

The grip on his face relaxed and let him go. John looked at the Terminator in disbelieve.

„I´d never expected to see you again." he said.

Then he faced the scientists again and noticed a puzzled expression on his face. He seemed to be surprised by what he, John, just said.

„Would you allow us to come inside?" Doc asked firmly.

John stared at him. „Inside? What do you mean inside? I can´t just let you in. Especially not him. He is a Terminator." He faced the Terminator and asked him: „What are you doing here anyway? With him?"

„My mission is to protect Dr. Emmet Brown." he answered. „I will continue that mission. Even against you if necessary."

John felt a sudden stab inside his chest. They really knew it. Of course they knew. That was the reason why they were here. He looked at the Terminator and finally at Dr. Brown, the man he´d sent a Terminator for.

„I won´t kill him." he promised and he meant it.

„Good to know that." Doc responded.

The stab came again and this time it went a little deeper.

„All right." he said. „You want to talk? Okay. Follow me."

He led the way back to the door. When the guard spotted the Terminator they jumped and aimed at him. John threw up his hands and stopped them.

„No! No!" he shouted. „Don´t shoot. They are my … guests."

„Your guests?" the man repeated. „John. This is a machine."

„I know what he is." John said and gave his man a serious look. He knew the guy. His name was Fred and he was a good man.

„John." Fred said now. „You know what … You told us yourself not to trust him. Especially not him. He would come to kill you, you said."

„I know what I said." John agreed. „But if he would want to kill me, I would be dead already."

Fred wasn´t convinced yet.

„Look." John said. „Give me one of your hand grenades."

Fred gave him one after he looked at him and the two strangers very closely. John took it and lifted it in front of everybody´s eyes.

„If anything happens," he said. „If he should try anything or whatever … then I will blow him up, all right? The machines won´t get a chance to infiltrate our system. Trust me."

After a few more seconds of weighing up the pros and cons, Fred finally unblocked the way and they went in. John led them to a room that looked like a bunker that had been transformed into a conference room. John offered them a seat and sat down himself. Though T preferred standing. He took his place behind Doc, who took his seat vis-à-vis with John.

„Okay." John said. „First tell me … how did you get here?"

Doc threw up his hands with a small grin. „I have a time machine." he just said.

John hesitated. „Yeah, but … what I mean is … how did you beat my … you know."

„Your assassine?" Doc finished the question for him. „We didn´t."

John blinked. „You what? You left him there? In your time?"

„No. We brought him back with us."

„Here? He is here?"

„Not exactly." Doc corrected him. „He is in Hill Valley by now. What´s left of it."

„But he will follow us soon." T chipped in.

„That´s why we came to you for one thing." Doc explained. „You have to stop that terrible machine, before it can cause more damage. Though … after what I saw today I don´t believe that is still possible."

„Stop. Out." John shouted and jumped up. „You´re telling me that the Terminator I send after you … will come here?"

„Precisely."

„And he will come here soon." T repeated.

„You are his operator." Doc reminded him. „He will follow your orders. You´ve got to stop him."

John grabbed his forehead, thinking hard. „It´s not that simple." he said. „I´m not connected with him. It. I send it through time. With an order to destroy himself after he finished … his mission. I never thought of controlling him. Or giving new orders to him."

„You mean you can´t stop him?" Doc asked desperately.

„That´s insufficient." T said. „The T-1000 will not hesitate to kill your men to get to his target. He doesn´t make any difference. It´s a killing machine."

„I know that, all right?" John shouted.

„When you know that why did you take advantage of him anyway?" Doc wanted to know. „That is not a wise behavior, son."

John threw a dark glare at him. He pointed his finger at him. „I am not your son!" he shouted. Doc flinched a little at this sudden outburst. „My father was Kyle Reese. He traveled back in time to save my mother´s life and DIED fighting a Terminator. Him!"

„Your father was from the future?" Doc asked surprised.

John nodded. „I am supposte to send him back in time very soon. I didn´t meet him yet but I will. Soon."

Doc couldn´t help but smiled helplessly about that new information. „So … why did you sent an assassin after me?" he wanted to know.

„We took a base of the machines." John explained tensed. „Three days ago. We caught them right in the moment when they were about to send a Terminator back in time to kill my mother. We´ve been able to stop them but they would try again. I couldn´t allow that."

„But didn´t you say, your father would save your mother?" Doc repeated confused.

„It wasn´t that Terminator. It was another mission. They planned to kill her as a child. Long before my father would meet her."

„I see." Doc agreed. „But still … It doesn´t make any sense why you should want to prevent the invention of time travel."

„Didn´t you just listen to me?" John shouted.

Doc remained completely calm at this excited man. He smiled at him and nodded. „I did listen." he said. „You just told me that you … had never been born without the technology of time travel."

A sudden flash stroke the mind of John Connor, what was exceptionally visible on his face.

„It´s difficult, isn´t it?" Doc said. „To calculate every single parameter that would be influenced by a minimal change of time. If time travel had never been invented, how would your father be able to meet your mother in the past?"

John felt sick. His legs went limb and he had to sit down. God, how could he been so blind?

„I was just …" he stuttered. „I just thought on all the things that happened because of … of the Terminators, what travelled through time. Judgement Day. Skynet. I thought … I thought we could make it undone. Correct the mistakes."

Doc shook his head in sympathy for this broken man. „If you would know anything about time travel, then you would know that there is no mistake that could be corrected in the natural course of time. You can´t just go back in time and change things that went wrong. Even if you could, the consequences would be disastrous. Believe me. The space-time-continuum is irrepressible. What ever you may change it will find a way to counterbalance it."

John looked at Doc desperately. „So what shell I do?" he asked. „They will try to kill my mother. I can´t let them do that."

„No." Doc agreed. „Of course not." He started to walk up and down, trying to think about a solution for that paradox.

„I thought if I could stop them from traveling through time, I could stop it all." John repeated, more to himself than to Doc or T. „I still don´t believe that I have to fight them in two different times. The present … and the past."

„You can´t fight your battle in the past." Doc objected sideways while he was still trying to think. „That is ridiculous."

„Is it?" John shouted. „But that´s the way it happens. They´re doing it since I was born. Even before that. It wasn´t my idea, it was theirs. And yours." he stood up again and headed for Doc in anger. „You and your damn time machine." he said.

T stepped forward and blocked his way.

„You have to think about it." Doc begged. „If you would send someone back in time to prevent the invention of time travel itself, how would you possibly be able to send this person back in time in the first place? It´s just not possible."

John sighed in anger and turned away from him.

„Besides." Doc went on. „The space-time-continuum would be altered in a way of impulsive …

„Please just stop the lesson, all right?" John interrupted him. „This is no school unit, Doctor."

„That´s exactly what it is." Doc objected. John threw up his hands and turned away from him.

„Don´t you understand?" Doc went on. "I´m trying to convince you about something important."

„About what?" John demanded to know. „Hm? About my failure? That I was a fool? That I made every mistake a human being can possibly make? By turning onto the machines way and away from my own? That I can´t change history?"

Doc just nodded. „This and one more thing." he said.

John´s breaths were heavy and fast. „What?" he wanted to know.

„I´m the only hope you have." Doc´s face was absolutely placid when he said that.

John just didn´t know what to say. He stared at this weird old scientist from the past and found himself unable to respond anything.

He didn´t got a chance to think any further. Their talk was suddenly interrupted by a blast that came out of nowhere. All three of them jumped and watched a giant grey ball appearing in the corner of the room. When flashes began to spread, Doc and John ducked behind the table. T didn´t move at all.

The door flew open and Fred came in along with some other men. They aimed their weapons at the ball but knew of course they couldn´t fight it with them. The ball began to glow and then it disappeared into thin air, leaving an angry looking T-1000 behind.

„Stop him!" Doc yelled at John. „Tell him to stop or he´ll kill us all!"

The T-1000 already headed for T, who stood straight against him, ready to fight. John jumped out of his hiding place.

„Stop!" he shouted at the T-1000. „Break up the mission. I repeat. Break up the mission."

The T-1000 stopped one inch before it reached T. The men still aimed at him, unsure what it would do. One more man entered the room, holding some technical equipment in his hand. He hurried to the T-1000 and set the tool at the back of his head. The Terminator didn´t move but in his eyes there were sparkles. Then he just broke down.

John went over to his friend giving him an asking look. Mike shrugged.

„I located a powerful raise of energy in here." he explained. „I knew it only could be him."

„Thanks." John said.

„What´s about him?" Mike wanted to know with a look at T.

„He´s all right." John answered and looked down on the T-1000 again.

„Shouldn´t he be naked?" he wondered. „I mean … I thought …"

Mike shook his head. „Only if he traveled through time. When he just traveled through space the portal has another effect. My instruments told me he came here from somewhere in California."

„Yeah. Hill Valley to be precise." John agreed.

„How do you know?" Mike asked him.

John just looked at Doc and T for an answer. Mike gasped when he saw Doc.

„You are Doctor Emmet Brown!" he said and reached out his hand. Doc took it instinctively. „I studied all your blueprints, Doctor." Mike told him. „You are a genius. I think all the technology we use today is somehow based on your notes and records."

„I´m not so sure if I want to hear about that." Doc replied. Then he paused. In his head there was suddenly an unexpected brainstorm.

„What is it now?" Mike asked confused.

Doc hit his own forehead, laughing in release. „That´s it!" he shouted. „That is the answer! Of course! Why didn´t I think about that earlier? I must be out of my mind!"

Mike and John shared a disturbed glance.

„Doctor?" John asked carefully.

„I know!" Doc shouted. „I know how I can solve your problem. But I will need your help." He addressed Mike.

„My help?" the technician repeated in disbelieve.

„Yes. You have to tell me how this time portal works. I need to know what parts of it are related to my original construction."

Mike shrugged. „No problem." he said. „I can show you. It´s right over there at the and of the corridore."

Doc just couldn´t believe it. Amazed he followed the young man to a small room, where he found the same construction like he´d seen it in Hill Valley.

„Great Scott!" he gasped.

„We rearranged the furnitures a little to get this thing in here." Mike explained.

„Do you have any blueprints of that?" Doc asked him.

„No. You see, we stole this one and unfortunately the manual wasn´t included. But I can tell you everything about it you want to know."

„Please, do it." Doc asked.

Mike did and Doc listened to him very carefully. What he heard was amazing and some of it even shocking. Obviously his own construction would be added by the microprocessor the military was about to invent in the nineties to create the time portal. A technology Mike called the Dyson-Microprocessor. That would mean he had to calculate more than just his own constructions, including the development of technology and other peoples further work on his invention. Not the easiest way to do what he had in mind. But at the end he had an idea, where he could start.

While they were talking John went over to T. „So … How are you doing?" he asked and got a questioning look. „Forget it." he said. „It´s just … this situation is somehow very familiar. Do _you_ remember? I mean …"

„My subroutines stored every experience my predecessors made." T answered.

„That means yes." John guessed. „You do remember me."

T looked at him with a motionless face and simply said: „Yes."

Behind John, Kate entered the room. When she saw the Terminator, she halted in shock.

„JOHN!" she yelled and ran over to him, pulling him back, away from the Terminator she considered to be the enemy who was about to kill her husband. T just stood there and didn´t move at all.

Surprised about that attack John grunted. When Kate raised her gun, he put her down quickly.

„No, Kate." he said. „God. He´s not here to kill me."

Mike took a breath in release. „I guess it´s about time to hang out a sign." he said. „Don´t feed or shoot the Terminator."

„What´s going on here?" Kate demanded to know. „What is he doing here?"

„He came with me." Doc answered her question and stepped forward.

Kates eyes widened when she saw him. She faced her husband to be sure she wasn´t hallucinating.

„My plan failed." John admitted frankly. „He brought him here. My Terminator lies in the conference room. Deactivated."

Kate still didn´t understand completely. „But …" she tried to say something. Her eyes shifted back and forth between John, Doc and T. „This doesn´t make any sense." she finally said. „Who activated him? It was none of us. So who did …?" She frowned and looked at T suspiciously. Then she aimed at him again.

„The machines sent you, didn´t they?" she said. „They alone had a reason to thwart our plan."

„Not just them." a voice behind her said.

Everybody spun around, facing the newcomer with a mixture of complete surprise and disbelieve. No one dared to say a word. No one would have expected that visitor. Not right here and certainly not in such a moment.

Then T stepped forward to greet his activator.

* * *

**All right. For everybody who noticed the little Sweeney Todd quote at the beginning: Sorry that I kinda stole it but it just fit too good in there to not to. Of course, I don´t own it, what a question. I just borrowed the line. Sorry for that.**

**Leave some reviews and thanks for reading.**


	11. Coming Full Circle

**Chapter 11**

**Coming Full Circle**

Everybody turned around when the voice suddenly chipped in the talk.

„J.J." John addressed the old woman in the door. „What are you doing here? Shouldn´t you be on a ship by now?"

The older lady was the liaison officer between their resistance group and the higher command on the battle ships at sea. She was one of the few in the resistance that had managed it to get older than fifty in this apocalyptic war. John had never dared to ask her about her exact age. Though the woman was in a quite good condition and still a good fighter if necessary, he guessed that she was at least in her later sixties.

Now she stepped in with a shrug. „I lied." she just said. „High Command didn´t order me back to the ship, I … had to take care of some business in my old town."

„Your old town?" John repeated surprised. He started to guess something.

J.J. didn´t go on with her explanation for him. Instead she looked at Doc Brown with a big smile and then turned to the Terminator. She shook her head like a grandmother would do after finding her grandson spread over and over with mud on a Sunday afternoon.

„God, you look terrible." she said. „You will never manage it to return from a mission without being awfully distorted, will you?"

„The destruction will be repaired." the Terminator answered convinced.

„I guess they will." she just replied. Then she turned to Doc again. „I´m very glad to see you are all right." she said firmly. „And to see you again after all these years." she finally cheered happily, grabbing Doc´s elbows.

It took some more seconds for the confused scientist to realize who he was talking to. But a look in that wide smiling face in front of him was too familiar to deny it.

„Jessie?" he gasped.

„It´s me!" the old woman cheered and pulled him in for a hug.

„You know each other?" John asked completely confused.

„Of course we do." J.J. answered still laughing. „I used to be his neighbour when I was a kid. Oh god, has it really been that long!"

„I just don´t believe it." Doc said.

„You can believe it." Jessie assured him half laughing. „I survived Judgement Day in a bunker along with some other officers of my base. I´m Lieutenant first grade you see. That´s how far I came before all of this ranking stuff became unimportant."

Doc could only shake his head in disbelieve. „Little Jessie became a soldier." he mumbled.

„Not just a usual soldier." she corrected him proudly. „The base I worked for was made for scientific research and development. I was part of the group that worked with the first breed of your time travel system."

She waited for Doc to respond anything but he was just too stunned to do so. Someone lay his hand on Jessie´s shoulder. She turned around and faced a very disturbed looking Kate.

„J.J." she said. „Does that mean … Are you trying to tell us that _you_ … activated him?" She pointed at T. J.J. nodded seriously.

„But why?"

„You sent T for me?" Doc asked astonished.

Jessie looked at him with a surprised smile. „T?" she repeated. „Well that´s a good name for him. T. Yes, I sent him to you. He should protect your life."

„But why?" Kate asked again.

„Because I couldn´t allow you to kill this man." Jessie said. She turned around and faced John with a totally serious gaze. „How could you anyway?" she asked. „What were you thinking, boy? Becoming a murderer like the machines? You ordered a machine to kill a human being. Someone you never looked into the eyes your entire life. Not once."

John avoided her judging gaze. He couldn´t stand it.

„Fortunately I did." Jessie went on. „I knew the man you were about to murder. If you had ever known him the way I did, you never would have been able to give that order. Besides. I guess he already told you about the paradox you would have caused."

„Indeed he did." John admitted reluctantly.

„Well then." she said. „I hope you learned your lesson."

„Wait a minute." Mike said. „I still don´t get it. How could you reprogram him and send him back in time within only three days? I needed that time to do so with complete equipment. How were you able to do it?"

„I was building a construction for a time portal under the order of High Command for at least a year." J.J. explained. „I wasn´t allowed to tell you about it but I was almost ready to test it. When I heard you talking about your plans, I decided to move the appointment forward and test the portal in action."

„Why in Hill Valley?" was all Mike knew to ask.

J.J. gave him a look. „What can I say? I´m a sweetheart. I guess, I just liked it to be in a familiar place. Besides, the town is dead. Not even the machines are very interested in it. What better place to hide a time portal?"

There was nothing left anyone could have said. They were just lack of arguments. The old woman clapped her hands in an energetic way.

„Well then." she said. „What´s your plan, Doc? I bet you´ve got one yet."

„Ehm, yes." Doc responded. „I actually do have a plan. I was just about to share, when you dropped in. But on the other hand … I always was used to you just dropping in, wasn´t I?"

J.J. gave him the brightest and certainly happiest smile an old woman could ever bring herself to in a world like this. Doc cleared his throat and went on.

„Well then, ladies and gentlemen. Let me introduce you to my plan. You see … the reason for your plan to kill me in the first place – for what I don´t blame you at all after what I saw here – was the hope to prevent further time travel of the machines into the past."

He started to gesture pointing back and forth like he would describe a race of invisible horses.

„The point is, that the time travels of the machines you witnessed earlier," he pointed at John, „are actually necessary to let things happen the way they have to. To not to disturb that course of time we have to make sure these time travels will occur. On the other hand we have to prevent the machines from going further into the past to kill your mother, like you saw, they would try to."

His audience nodded. Some of them were already quiet exhausted by now.

„How?" John asked him.

Doc threw up his forefinger. „I´ll tell you." he promised and walked over to the console of the time portal. „According to what Mike told me, that this apparat was build after my original plans for the time machine, I assume that I will be able to manipulate that plans. I still don´t know exactly how to do it but I will find out."

„Wow, Wow. Stop." John demanded. „What do you mean … manipulate the plans. How? How does that help us?" „Don´t you understand?" Doc answered excited. „This thing is my invention. I just haven´t build it yet. Now that I know what is about to come, I can set a trap for the machines into it."

John glanced back to his fellas. „A trap?" he asked hopefully.

„Well, not exactly a trap." Doc corrected himself. „But let´s call it a borderline. A line what they won´t be able to pass. Remember. They still have to be able to travel back in time later from now on. To make sure you will be born."

„Right." John admitted.

„But this way, I will make sure that they can´t get back in time that far, to kill your mother before she can meet your father." Doc hesitated for a moment. „This suddenly sounds very familiar to me." he mumbled. „Anyway. You will be safe and the timeline won´t be disrupted by the machines. Nor by you I hope."

John took a breath. He needed a few moments to take in what he´d just heard. Finally he nodded.

„Don´t worry." he said and turned to face J.J. again. „I learned my lesson."

...

Blasts and flashes inside the house. A miniature thunderstorm lasting into a big grey ball. Then it was gone and three persons were standing there on the platform.

„Amazing." Doc said looking around to be sure he really was on another place than he had been ten seconds before. „Absolutely amazing. You know I never really expected you to become an inventor, Jessie. I only dared to hope to keep your mind open for science in your later life. But this … I´m quiet proud of you, you know."

Jessie smiled at him. „Do you know, that you taught me all this?" she said. „No, don´t worry. Let me finish." she said when she saw Doc´s face. „I just meant that you were the one who introduced me to science and … time travel. I admit the study at the university and the years at the M.I.T. were quiet helpful too. I also don´t want to miss my teachers for physics at school … But I surely never would have been able to get through all these years if it hadn´t been for you. Literally and metaphorically."

Doc grinned from ear to ear. „Well." he said pretending to be calm. „I´m happy that I could bring you on the right way."

Jessie smiled. „You certainly did." she said. „But now it´s time to bring you on the way. Let´s go."

She led the way outside to the DeLorean. Doc and T followed her in silence.

„Well, I guess we have to bring it back in the time it belongs." Doc said. „The problem is: How do I come back into my time after that?"

„Therefor I have something for you." Jessie promised. „A little surprise. Well, not so little perhaps, but … Follow me."

He did. Jessie led him to some sort of a hidden trap door, that brought them down to a hidden cavelike place beneath the surface. What Doc found in there, just took away his breath. Right in the middle of the cave there was a big black train. But not just a train. A futuristic one with jet propulsion and some more technical stuff all around it.

„It is refueled and ready to start." Jessie told him.

„Great Scott!" Doc gasped. „Did I …"

„Never mind." Jessie advised him.

„Yeah." Doc aspirated.

„T will follow you in there." Jessie told him. „After you parked the DeLorean he will pick you up and bring you back to your own time. Afterwards he will return here. And then destiny might follow its plan."

Doc turned away from the train and faced Jessie again.

„I guess that means good bye now." he said.

„Yeah." she agreed sadly but still smiling. „But it was good to see you again. It´s been far too long."

„Who knows." Doc shrugged. „Maybe we´ll meet again in the future."

Jessie nodded. „I just regret that I had no chance to see Marty again." she said. „I´ve missed him too. He was like the big brother, I never had. Even growing older with the years didn´t change that. Funny, isn´t it? How perception sometimes works."

„You know Marty?" Doc asked confused and tried to remember, when the two of them might have met. Certainly not in 1955. Did they? „How …?" he started to ask but got interrupted by her again.

„That´s a long story you probably don´t want to hear." she said and tabbed him on his shoulder. He nodded and decided that it was probably really the best not to ask further questions.

„Well then." Jessie said. „Let´s go. You have a train to catch."


	12. Backwards Home

**Chapter 12**

**Backwards Home**

„The starter again didn´t work." Marty explained and got out of the white truck with the logo Emmet Brown Enterprises on it. He was more than relieved the DeLorean was still where he left it. „I had to walk the way." he explained. „That´s why I was late for … you know."

When he got in and tried the starter it suddenly worked. The engines came up with the smoothest sound a car ever made. Marty gave Doc an embarrassed smile.

„Never mind, Marty." Doc said. „Sometimes that car only works when it wants. Come on. Follow me. After we brought the truck to my lab, I´ll give you a ride home. It´s time for you to get some sleep, kid."

„All right, Doc." Marty agreed and closed the door.

Doc drove on and led the way down the street, heading for his home. On his way he threw a glance up to the night sky. Somewhere far ahead he spottet some moving lights, what suddenly turned out to sparkle only to disappear into thin air. It was truly a relief to see the plan working out fine. It gave him some hope for the future.

Marty didn´t know about it. At least not the way he did. He hadn´t been there. He hadn´t seen it. And Doc considered that he didn´t need to know yet. The kid was seventeen. He deserved a little more time. One day he would have to tell him, no doubt. But not yet. After all, they had some more years left. All good things to those who can wait, Doc thought. He already waited about thirty years. Then he would be able to wait a little longer.

For now he had to do something more important. He had to do another trip. If he really wanted to change things, he needed to get more information. The last thirty years he found some evidence – at least it seemed like evidence in his eyes – that the timeline he visited, was not the only one that was possible. If he didn´t want to make any bad mistakes, he had to find out, what was the truth. And therefor he had to go ones more, back to the future.

* * *

**Okay guys. In case you didn´t notice. That last line was an offer for a sequel. Tell me if you are interested.**

**And thanks for staying with me that long.**


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